One of the Dragons
by HouseHaddock
Summary: Hiccup was taken from Berk when he was 5 years old by a dragon. Instead of harming him, the dragons raised him as one of them, and through the dragons he met Toothless, who would become his very best friend. 15 years later, word comes that the vikings of Berk are killing dragons, and Hiccup promises to stop it, unknowing of the world and the family he left behind.
1. Prologue: Two Worlds

**Okay, so, this is the first WIP story I have written in a very long time! I honestly don't know how well it will work out for me, as I usually have difficulty keeping up with WIPs, but I really like where my brain is with this one and HTTYD really has reinvigorated my desire to write lately. There aren't any spoilers for the second movie in this, though there could possibly be spoilery parallels in future chapters. I will let you know then if that is the case. I really hope you enjoy it. And for the record, this is going to be Hiccstrid, but the story isn't just about them as a couple, but more about family.**

**I would also like to point out that I've kind of combined Hiccup II's story from the books (I haven't read them, but a dear friend recounted the story for me) and Valka's story from the second movie to make this plot. Enjoy!**

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Hiccup couldn't remember his parents. He couldn't remember having a real, human home. All he knew was dragons.

From the time Hiccup was very young, he'd been around dragons. When he was born, it was in the form of the dragons that would attack his home island of Berk. When he was just a baby, a dragon broke into his room, but was scared off by his mother and father. When he was only five years old, a dragon- the same one that had broken into his room- took him from his bed and flew off into the early morning sky with him.

A part of him had been scared, absolutely terrified, that the dragon was taking him so that he could eat him. But another part of him knew that he had no reason to be scared, knew the dragons wouldn't hurt him. He was small, but he wasn't stupid. In fact, he'd always been told he was too smart for his age (and his own good). He knew there was always more than met the eye, even when it came to creatures that seemed like nothing more than mindless killing machines. And when the dragon brought him to his sanctuary and even got a fish for him to eat, Hiccup knew that he was safe.

From that day on, he was one of the dragons.

The dragon who'd taken him from his home, he named Cloudjumper. Cloudjumper was large and refined in nature, and even though he was the first dragon Hiccup ever met, he wasn't the dragon that Hiccup truly connected with. The dragon who would become his best friend, he named Toothless. Toothless had taken to him immediately and Hiccup had giggled when he saw the retractable teeth, so unlike anything he'd seen in any other dragon. They were fast friends, Toothless barely ever leaving Hiccup's side as he learned to navigate his new, human-less life.

Toothless would get him fish and start fires for him so he could cook it. Toothless would run around the sancturary with him, playing with him when he was small and was feeling sad. At night, Toothless would curl around him, keeping him warm and comforting Hiccup to sleep with his soft purr-like sounds. They were inseparable.

Toothless also brought him gifts whenever he'd go out flying. Specifically, he brought him books, which Hiccup used to painstakingly teach himself Norse. He never wanted to lose his native tongue, just in case the time ever came when he'd have to communicate with people again. He knew that if he ever had to truly speak it again, it might not be the greatest, but he also knew that he'd always been smart and resourceful, and if it came down to it, he spoke well enough to get his point across.

As he learned Norse, he also learned Dragonese. He had to be able to talk to his family, and the only way to do that was to learn their language. The better he got at Dragonese, the closer he got to Toothless. Toothless was his best friend, and they vowed to protect each other from anything and everything.

But then when Hiccup was fifteen years old, Toothless was hurt. He came back from a flight, the other dragons helping him before they set him down into soft grass as gently as they could. Hiccup immediately saw the problem. Part of his tail was missing. Cloudjumper told him he'd been shot down and the other dragons had found him before the humans did. Hiccup felt awful... he hadn't been there to protect his best friend. He already had a plan to help him though.

With the help of the other dragons, Hiccup fashioned Toothless a new tail. They would steal metal for him and leather even and with their fire and the natural water around him, he was able to do a lot, including metal work and making tools for future work. It took several tries to get it right, but once he did, he was able to make it so that Toothless could fly, but only if Hiccup was riding him. Toothless didn't seem to mind.

If Hiccup and Toothless had been close before, it didn't come close to comparing to how they were now. They were basically soul brothers. Toothless didn't want to fly unless it was with Hiccup and Hiccup wanted to explore the world, something Toothless was happy to help with. Together they started to map out the world and Hiccup couldn't have been happier.

It had been fifteen years now since Hiccup was basically adopted by the dragons. It had been five since he'd become a dragon rider. He was twenty years old now, tall and strong and fiercely protective of the ones he loved the most, the dragons.

So when Hiccup heard from the other dragons that the vikings of Berk were killing them off by the thousands... Hiccup knew he had to do something. He couldn't let this continue without doing something. Hiccup wasn't the confrontational type, but he knew how to speak, and teaching himself Norse would come in handy.

Berk didn't even ring any bells in his mind anymore. Most of his life among humans had been forgotten, only small traces of memories left in their wake.

"I'm going to go to the vikings and I'm going to make a case for peace!" Hiccup announced in perfect Dragonese. The dragons around him roared loudly. They were cheering. "I will not let them kill anymore of you. You're my family, and I'll be damned if I don't put an end to this mindless murder." The dragons around him tipped their heads back and shot celebratory flames into the air, and he knew they had his back if need be. Hiccup looked to Toothless.

"You with me on this, bud?" he asked. Toothless nodded, his eyes glinting mischeviously. Hiccup grinned back and jumped onto his back, attaching himself to the harness he had painstakingly devised. There was no one he trusted more to help him with this deed. Toothless would back him up no matter what and protect him fiercely if something were to go wrong.

"If you don't hear word from us soon, follow after, but don't cause any harm unless there is a reason to! We don't want war. We want peace. We need to show them how dragons really are," Hiccup added. It was Cloudjumper who nodded, as he was a sort of leader among their family. Hiccup looked at each of their scaly faces, before tapping Toothless gently on the side of his neck.

Toothless took off and flew out of the sanctuary and into the dark of the night, Hiccup holding on tight even though he trusted his reptilian companion with every ounce of his being. They were heading towards dangerous territory, and he couldn't help but hold onto his best friend just that little bit tighter, to let him know that Hiccup wouldn't let anything happen to him. He'd already allowed one too many things to happen to his best friend.

"Alright, buddy... head towards to Berk," Hiccup whispered, and then Toothless was zooming off towards the notorious island, both of them entirely unknowing of what exactly was waiting for them in the place that Hiccup had once called home.

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**I really hope you enjoyed it and I would really like to know if anyone actually wants to read more of it, because that would definitely give me more of an incentive to continue with it. So yeah, definitely review if you'd like to!**


	2. Chapter 1: A Mother's Love

**Thank you to everyone for liking this story so far! I just hope you continue to like it, and I hope I do as well because then I'll want to keep writing. I would like to thank my dear friend Caroline (TTAvatarfan, go check out her stuff!) because I mentioned her in the intro to the prologue and she told me she teared up, so sorry for calling you out on that, but I love you dearly and she was the one who told me to go ahead and write this story. Also, there will be NO MAJOR HTTYD2 SPOILERS IN THIS STORY. I've decided to not parallel the big things that happens, because that's just not fair. Any other parallels will be things that have been in the commercials and in the clips that are easily accessible online. **

**And now, without further adieu, the story. Enjoy!**

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It had been fifteen years, fifteen long years, and Valka Haddock still refused to give up on her only son. In all the time since he'd been taken from her, she never stopped looking for him and hoping he would come home. Just because everyone else believed him to be dead didn't mean that she had to. She knew better than that.

Valka had tried to stop her son from being taken by the dragons. That was her only baby and she was supposed to be his ultimate protector. The first time the dragon had broken their home, she'd been able to scare him off, along with Stoick, even though she hadn't wanted to scare the creature. Hiccup hadn't seem scared, even though his baby mind couldn't have possibly comprehended the situation he was in. He'd been giggling and reaching for the creature as it stared down at him, tilting its head back and forth in a curious manner.

But when Stoick busted in, it scared the dragon. The dragon had left then, but he'd left his mark, cutting Hiccup's chin just slightly. Valka had gone immediately to her son's aid, while Stoick stormed out of the house, calling for blood.

Five years after that, the same dragon broke into their home once more, but this time he succeeded in taking Hiccup away from them for good.

Stoick was quick to say that Hiccup was probably gone, long gone for good. He was just a child, there was no way that the dragons would spare him when they had refused to spare so many adult lives in the past. Valka wouldn't allow herself to believe that. They searched for Hiccup for almost a year, before Stoick told Valka that she just had to accept it, that he was gone and it was time to move on. That was the moment when her marriage first became strained.

A couple years later, Stoick approached her about having another child. Valka refused. She wasn't going to simply give up on Hiccup like that. She couldn't do that. So when she refused, Stoick became increasingly angry with her because then they wouldn't have a proper heir to become the next chief.

"If that's all that matters to you Stoick, then I feel very sorry for you," she had said, before storming up the stairs of their home, going into Hiccup's room and slamming the door behind her.

She spent a lot of time in his room. She also spent a lot of time going out on trips with a select few who would help her. When Stoick put an end to that, she would spend her time looking up at the sky, hoping that one night, the dragons would come and Hiccup would be with them.

The dragons would come almost every night without fail, but Hiccup was never with them.

And without fail, Stoick and the others would kill as many dragons as they possibly could.

Valka hated it. She hated the way they killed the dragons. She didn't think they deserved it. None of the vikings took the time to try and understand the dragons, they just went straight to violence. She knew it was in their nature, but still... she knew there was so much more to the creatures than they could even fathom.

She'd seen it the night the dragon first broke into her home. That dragon had been fascinated by Hiccup, not looking at him as if he were something to eat, but as if Hiccup had been a babe of his own. If he'd wanted to eat Hiccup, wouldn't he have done it right then and there? Why wait? He wouldn't have done what looked like playing with him if he'd wanted to eat him. That dragon meant no harm to her son, and she kept that fact close to her for fifteen years, telling herself it over and over because she just couldn't admit that he was gone.

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Valka was walking towards her home, a small basket of fish in her arms. Maybe she'd be able to cook them well tonight. Probably not. Valka wasn't feeling at her best at the moment, which meant the chances of her magically acquiring better cooking skills was quite small. There was something very different about this night, even though all around her things were going as planned. Vikings milling about, preparing their weapons for the dragon raid that would no doubt happen. They seemed to be happening more and more lately.

A young blonde viking, Astrid Hofferson, approached her, making her stop in her tracks. Valka was friends with Astrid's parents, but as they could be as bad about dragons as the rest of the villagers, so it was just another strained relationship in the village. Astrid looked at her pityingly.

"Yes?" Valka asked.

"The chief told me to tell you that a dragon was sighted and it would be best if you go home," she said. Valka's expression stayed as stoic as her husband. It was an insult that Stoick would send a girl who was just slightly younger than their missing son.

"Of course he did. Thank you for relaying the message, dear," she said, adjusting the basket onto one arm so that she could pat Astrid's shoulder gently. The girl nodded and walked off. Valka stared after her for a few minutes, wondering what could've been if Hiccup were still with them. Would he and Astrid have become a pair? It would have been entirely possible. Astrid was strong, but she was rough around the edges. Valka liked to believe that Hiccup would've been able to smooth her out.

She sighed and continued to walk, almost making it back when she heard a viking yell out.

"NIGHT FURY!" the man called and Valka couldn't help but stop and look back up at the skies.

"Why is there only one dragon?" she heard Stoick call out.

"Is that... is that a person on its back?!"

Valka almost dropped her basket as she ran down the hill back to the main center. As she got closer, she was able to see the dragon in the sky, and there was the faint outline of a person on its back. Valka's heart began to race. It couldn't be... could it?

"Hold off your weapons!" Stoick yelled and Valka would've been in shock by this if she wasn't so tuned into what was happening in the sky. Stoick was never one to shy away from immediate violence. It was definitely an occupational hazard of being a viking. "But have them at the ready! We don't know what we're up against."

As the dragon got closer, it was obvious that there was definitely a person on its back. Valka's heart was hammering so hard, it felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Stoick didn't even notice that she was behind him as the dragon flew down and landed, looking around cautiously at all the vikings surrounding him and his rider with weapons. He growled low in his chest, obviously very protective of the person on his back.

The rider unhooked himself from the saddle he was sitting on and jumped off of the dragon, a mask covering his face. He immediately held out his hands, looking around just as cautiously as his dragon. He was crouched slightly as if he was one of the dragons himself. This made Valka even more anxious.

"Show us your face!" Stoick demanded.

The rider turned to him, sizing him up. He was much smaller than Stoick, but that wasn't difficult. And if he was young... it would only make sense.

"Please... I don't want any trouble..." the rider said. That voice... the nasally tone. Valka hadn't felt like this since the day she lost her son.

"Who are you?" Stoick asked, raising his axe in front of him. The rider took a step back, before seeming to think better of it and standing up straight, obviously trying to make himself appear taller. Everyone was on edge, the vikings to charge and Valka for an entirely different reason.

The rider reached up and removed his helmet. The moment Valka laid her eyes on him, she gasped loudly, causing all of the other vikings, including her husband, to turn and look at her. If she couldn't tell by the rider's face, the scar on his chin was reason enough. The rider stared, as Valka stared back. Stoick glared at her.

"Valka!" he said, but she ignored him and walked past him. She walked up to the rider and he shrunk back. It was obvious he hadn't been in contact with people for a very long time.

"Hiccup?" she asked softly, her voice almost cracking with how much emotion was behind it. The rider's eyes widened. She reached up and touched his face gently, right where his scar was, and he jerked back.

"Should... should I know you?" he asked. Valka bit her lip.

"You were just a boy when you were taken from me... but a mother never forgets..." she whispered. The gasp from the boy definitely answered her, besides the fact that Valka would never mistake some stranger for her son. This was her Hiccup. His eyes said it all.

"You're... you're my mother?" he asked. The sound of weapons dropping to the ground filled the air, as the dragon curled himself even more protectively around his rider.

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**Hopefully that's cliffhangery enough to get people coming back. Let me know what you think if you'd like and have a wonderful day! Or night. Whatever time it happens to be where you are!**


	3. Chapter 2: Tense Situations

**Okay, so I would like to apologize now for chapter lengths. I'm not the best at writing long chapters, I find that they always end ranging about the same length. This one is longer than the prologue and the first chapter, but I can't promise that each chapter will be a specific length. I can promise, however, that I will always strive to give you the best quality with each chapter that I post. I truly hope I succeed in writing something that people really just enjoy.**

**Also, I probably won't be able to post the next chapter until this weekend maybe. The rest of the week is looking very busy for me, tomorrow I'm going to my friend Caroline's house (TTAvatarfan, seriously check out her fics) and then this weekend I might be spending it with my mom, so the next chapter might have to wait a while. I hope you can all forgive me for that.**

**Anyways, yeah, I'll stop talking now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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"Val, what in Thor's name are you talking about?" Stoick's voice boomed. Hiccup jumped, as did Valka and they both looked up at the large man in question. "Hiccup is gone, Val. He was eaten by dragons."

Toothless growled from where he was crouched, wrapped around Hiccup's legs. Hiccup put a hand out in front of his best friend, hoping to show him that everything was alright for now. Toothless wouldn't let anyone hurt him, but Hiccup wasn't about to let him attack when it wasn't entirely necessary.

"Stoick, look at him! It's Hiccup! Our son! Look at the scar!" Valka shouted at her husband. Hiccup reached up, completely unconscious of the movement, and ran his fingers over the scar on his chin, something he'd grown to completely forget about. He looked at the couple, and then looked around. Vague memories danced through his mind, voices without faces, armor... so many weapons. But after living in seclusion with dragons practically his entire life, even the most precious of memories were faded to almost nothing.

This woman claimed to be his mother, and how could he deny it? She seemed very sure, and if she knew of his scar... then she had to be, right? And there was the fact that she had his eyes, or he had her eyes, technically. He could see himself in her, could see where he got his features. But the man she was talking to, the man she claimed was his father. He saw nothing of himself in that man... that man who was obviously the one killing his family, his dragons.

"Valka, Hiccup is dead! I will not let you go on with this fantasy for any longer. Bind him!" Stoick ordered to his men, and the moment those men inched closer, Toothless growled menacingly at them, daring anyone to come near his rider. Hiccup held onto Toothless' harness, just in case. But it didn't really look like it would matter, because Valka stepped closer to him.

"I will not let you take our son prisoner, Stoick. If you can't see him, then I'm sorry, but I do. I know my son. I had hoped that you would too," she said. Hiccup stared at her. He couldn't believe this women, this_ stranger_, was protecting him. She didn't know Hiccup, even if he was her son.

"Please," Hiccup spoke up. "Please, let me explain. I came here for a reason."

Valka turned back to him and looked into his eyes. Hiccup couldn't help the way his heart thudded heavily against his chest, as if he was connected to this woman on an incredibly deep, emotional level. More reasons to believe that she really was his mother.

"We'll talk in private. The three of us," she said, shooting Stoick a glare.

"The dragons won't come tonight," Hiccup said, knowing that was what the man was probably expecting. "In fact, that's why I'm here." The man narrowed his eyes at Hiccup, who felt the need to once again look as tall as he could. So he stood to his full height, puffing out his chest. "Your people will be safe tonight. I promise." _And so will my dragons._

"Fine. But the beast gets locked up in the meantime," Stoick snarled, point a finger at Toothless. Toothless bared his teeth at the man and Hiccup shook his head.

"No. He stays with me. Where I am, he is. No exceptions. Deny me this and the war will continue," Hiccup said, glaring right back. Valka looked at Hiccup and then at Toothless. He was so protective... he obviously cared very deeply for her son. That made her trust him.

"He will behave?" she asked Hiccup. He looked at her and nodded.

"Of course. As long as he isn't threatened," he responded, motioning to the weapons around them. Stoick continued to stare at the boy for a few moments, before he looked around at his villagers. "Off to bed with all of ya. There won't be any raids tonight," he said gruffly, before he turned and walked towards his home. Valka gave Hiccup a small smile and motioned for him to follow her. Hiccup looked down at Toothless and Toothless looked up at him. "It's okay, bud... I think we're safe," he said, before following after the adults, Toothless walking beside him, but still very close to him.

He passed by a group of Vikings that looked to be about his age. One in particular caught his eye. A girl, with blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looked tough and volatile, but still also just... beautiful. The girl looked at him and caught his eye. He flushed and averted his gaze quickly. Toothless made an annoyed sound and Hiccup sighed, continuing to walk so that he wouldn't lose sight of the woman he was supposed to be following who was possibly his mother.

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Hiccup could feel the hostility coming from Stoick in waves. He was sitting at a table in the chief's house, Toothless beside him, with Valka and Stoick across from him. Stoick was staring at him, his expression steely. Valka was staring at him as well, but her expression was much softer, much more curious. Toothless was basically pressed against Hiccup, not wanting to move even an inch from his rider's side, just in case.

"So, you said you came here for a reason," Valka started, breaking the tension. Or at least she tried to. It really didn't work. As long as Stoick was tense, the situation would continue to be. She knew all to well the power of her husband's presence. Hiccup sat up straight, obviously feeling it as well.

"I learned that the people here have been killing my dragons and I came to barter for peace," he said. Stoick's glare deepened.

"You mean that your dragons are the ones killing my people!" he basically growled. Hiccup glared. He wasn't going to take this sitting down. His dragons had told him enough about the Vikings to know that any killings were entirely provoked. Hiccup didn't agree with it, but this was why the war needed to end, so that the rampant bloodshed would end.

"What have my dragons done to you?" he asked.

"What_ haven't_ they done?! They've stolen our livestock, set fire to our buildings, and killed hundreds of us, including-"

"Me?" Hiccup asked, cutting Stoick off. "If I'm really your son, then I'm proof that the dragons aren't innately evil. They didn't eat me. They raised me. They gave me what I needed and made me the person that I am today."

Stoick slammed his fist against the table and Toothless jumped up, growling. Hiccup put his hand on the side of Toothless' neck. Toothless shrunk down, but he continued to growl lowly, the sound rumbling from his chest. Hiccup just kept rubbing Toothless' neck to keep him calm, at least for now.

"Even if you were my son," Stoick said, his voice rough and his tone angry, "I would much rather you be dead than protecting dragons."

"We all have to protect our families. You protect yours and I protect mine. I don't want war anymore than you do. I believe we can work something out," Hiccup said.

"NO!" Stoick's voice honestly made the house tremble. "I refuse to listen to some feral dragon rider!"

"Stoick!" Valka snapped. "You will not speak to our son this way!"

"He is not my son!"

The room went silent, except for Toothless' continued growling. Hiccup and Stoick were staring each other down, both unmoving. Valka basically stood between them.

"Regardless of what you might think, Stoick..." Valka started, glaring at her husband. "This is our son. If you can't see it, you are obviously quite blind to what is right in front of your face. Now, we're not talking about this anymore tonight. Hiccup, you will stay here, and we'll talk more in the morning. Since we know a raid isn't happening tonight, we'll all be able to sleep more easily."

"I don't want him here," Stoick said. "I don't trust him."

"I don't care! He is staying here!" Valka responded. She and Stoick seemed to have a staring contest, before he sneered. She wouldn't back down. She was tired of backing down.

"Fine. But the beast gets locked up with the others," he said, obviously reluctant to relent to his wife.

"I won't stay if Toothless is going to be locked up. Like I said before... where he goes, I go," Hiccup said. Both Stoick and Valka looked over at him, and then at Toothless.

"I'm sure the dragon will be just fine," Valka said. "He- Toothless- he can stay here with you as well."

"You're wrong about this, Val. This boy and his dragons are going to get us all killed," Stoick said before he shook his head and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Valka didn't even wince. She sighed and shook her head.

"Are you hungry, dear?" she asked, looking at Hiccup. He shook his head.

"We ate on the way." Valka nodded.

"Follow me then." She started walking up the stairs. Hiccup looked at Toothless, before they followed her up the stairs, Toothless moving carefully as the stairs definitely weren't built for a dragon. Valka lead them to a small room. Inside there was a table with a chair and a very tiny bed. There was also a small fire pit near the wall. "The bed is obviously much too small for you, but I can get some furs and lay them out for the both of you," she said.

Hiccup smiled slightly. "That would be nice. Though, we really don't have to stay. Toothless is very warm, it wouldn't be a problem to just leave for the night," he said. Toothless jumped up on the little bed and sat down, looking around curiously. He looked up at Hiccup and made a soft purring noise. Hiccup walked over to him and scratched his scales. Valka smiled.

"He's beautiful," she said, walking carefully towards Toothless. "Why's he named Toothless?" she asked holding her hand out slowly. Toothless stared at it for a moment, before leaning in and pressing his snout against her hand. Valka smiled and rubbed her hand over his face, between his eyes, causing him to purr even louder.

"He has retractable teeth," Hiccup responded. Toothless seemed to know that they were talking about him because he opened his mouth and retracted his teeth. Valka giggled and rubbed her hand over his neck.

"He's incredible," she said as Toothless flicked his tail, which caused her to notice the difference. "What happened?"

Hiccup's face darkened at the question. He hated that memory. It was one of his worst. "He was hurt during a flight five years ago. With the help of the other dragons, I was able to make him a new tail. It wasn't the easiest thing, and it took a couple tries, but I did it," he explained, shrugging.

"Was it... did it happen here?" Valka asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't with him when it happened. It was before I started riding him, or riding at all. I couldn't protect him then, so I've vowed to protect him now. He's my best friend."

Valka looked up at him. "That's extraordinary," she said, commenting on so much more than just the tail. "You were able to make this... and the harness and your clothes? And you speak so well... How is all of that possible? You were so small..." she said, her eyes sad.

Hiccup shrugged again. "I had to teach myself, I guess. They brought me materials and tools and books so that I could teach myself and they provided the heat for metal work. It wasn't the easiest life, but..." Hiccup smiled at Toothless, who nuzzled his head against Hiccup's side. "I don't regret any of it. I wouldn't change any of it for the world." He scratched Toothless' scales. Valka stared at them, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'll go get those furs," she said, before rushing out the room. She didn't want them to see her cry. There were just so many emotions running through her. It had been fifteen years since she'd lost her son, and now he was back, but he was... not what she expected. He was a real man, one who was intelligent and resourceful and so compassionate. He saw the dragons the way she saw them... as intelligent, beautiful creatures who weren't programmed to harm humans.

And now she had her son back, but there was such a strong chance of losing him again. If Stoick had his way... Hiccup would be gone by the next afternoon and the war would still rage on.

The thought of Hiccup leaving, the thought of him being taken from her yet again, was absolutely heartbreaking. Valka had been heartbroken enough in her life, and she didn't want to feel that way ever again.

At the moment though, he was still here. He was staying the night and maybe the next day, Valka could talk to Stoick and make him see, make him really see that this was their Hiccup and that they couldn't lose him again. She knew how stubborn her husband was, but she could be just as stubborn, and she would make him see their son. She had to.

She collected some of the spare furs they had and took them back to Hiccup's old room. Maybe she could have a new bed built for him, and even one for Toothless. Maybe that would convince him to stay.

When she walked into the room, Hiccup was looking at the table, the same one he had sat at when he was tiny to draw. Valka hadn't moved anything in his room since he'd been gone, so the things that were on the table when he'd been taken were still there. She set the furs down and walked over behind him, looking down at what he was looking at.

It was a picture of a dragon, one he must have drawn before he was taken. It looked similar to the one that had taken him.

"Cloudjumper," Hiccup said, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked up to see that he was looking at her. She made a soft questioning noise. He smiled. "His name is Cloudjumper." Hiccup looked back down at the drawing and Valka realized he was talking about the dragon that had taken him. Tears threatened to fall again, but not for heartbroken reasons. This dragon had obviously taken care of her son, as did the one currently in the room with them.

She had a sneaking suspicion that she would have to thank the dragons. She honestly didn't mind the thought.

She walked away from the table back to the furs and set them out on the floor in a comfortable pile. She also grabbed the pillows from the small bed and set them there as well. A fire was already started in the fire pit, and she wondered if Hiccup had asked Toothless to do it.

"There are blankets in that cupboard over there. You should be comfortable. If you need anything, just let me know," she said. Hiccup nodded and waited until Toothless settled down on the furs before he laid down beside him. He looked up at Valka.

"Thank you. Toothless is really good at keeping us warm, so we should be fine," he said. Valka nodded.

"Alright then. Goodnight, Toothless," she said, scratching the dragon's scales. He made a happy little noise and wrapped his tail around Hiccup. She smiled and looked at her long lost son. "Goodnight, Hiccup."

He smiled at her. "Goodnight."

She stared at him for a moment, before retreating from the room, closing the door softly behind her. She had to take a few moments just to breathe, to calm her still crazily beating heart. At least she had her son back for the night. Valka could rest easy knowing that she had him for at least this one night.


	4. Chapter 3: A Somewhat Decision

**Sorry this update took so long! I've been very busy the past few days, as I said before. There's just so much going on in my life lately. But yeah, I hope this makes up for it. Also, I would like to mention that Hiccup has both of his legs! I don't know if I made that implicit, so I'm just putting it out there as a reminder. Anyways, onto the chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

Hiccup woke up the next morning a little groggy, immediately taking in the unfamiliar surroundings around him. Toothless was still beside him, he could feel his dragon's stomach rise and fall with each sleeping breath. He lay there for a few moments, taking in where he was. He was on furs in a strange house. After a few moments, he sat up and looked around, remembering the night before and why he was in a house rather than surrounded by dragons in his sanctuary.

As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Toothless awokeawoke and sat up as well, looking around. He was immediately on guard, considering he had also forgotten just where it was he'd fallen asleep. The dragon's ear flaps flattened back and Hiccup hushed him, rubbing his neck.

"It's okay, bud... I don't think we'll be harmed here. I don't think _she_ would let them harm us," he said soothingly, before standing up. Toothless stared at him and Hiccup smiled at him. "I'm going to go downstairs. You stay here until I'm sure everything's alright." He gave Toothless one last rub between his eyes and then left the room, only to run right into Valka. They both gasped.

"Were you... were you talking to him?" Valka asked. Hiccup flushed when he realized she must have heard him talking Dragonese. He nodded.

"I was... when you grow up with dragons, you learn to speak as a dragon does," he said. Valka nodded and then she smiled.

"I brought you some bread and fresh fish for Toothless. I didn't know what he enjoyed so I just got a variety. I figured at least one of them would be his favorite," she said, motioning to the basket in her arm. Hiccup looked into it, and then reached in, pulling out an eel.

"I suggest never giving an eel to a dragon. They react badly to them, seeing as eels make them sick," he said.

Valka handed him the bread and the basket of fish, taking the eel from him. "No eels then. I'll remember that." Hiccup smiled at her.

"Thank you," he said, before going back into the room. He set the basket down in front of Toothless, who's mouth opened wide in a big smile before he started to dig in. Hiccup sat himself down on the little bed- evidently his old bed- and began to eat the bread. He hadn't had fresh baked bread in a long time. It was delicious.

"When was the last time you had bread?" Valka asked from the door and Hiccup looked up. He hadn't realized she'd stayed upstairs. She had the eel behind her back so that Toothless wouldn't see it.

"A long time. A very long time," he said, taking another bite. "Sometimes the dragons will bring back pieces of bread, but it's never fresh." Toothless made a noise and looked at Hiccup with an expression that could only be described as that of annoyance. Hiccup smiled at him. "You know I appreciate everything you guys do for me, bud." Toothless seemed to grin and licked Hiccup's face, causing Hiccup to laugh and push his dragon's face away playfully. Valka smiled at them and Hiccup looked up at her again. "Did the... did the chief ever return last night?" he asked.

"No, but he did send someone to tell me to tell you that he will be meeting with you in the Great Hall. He wants to have the discussion in a public forum this time," she said. Hiccup sighed and nodded.

"I understand. A stranger appears saying he can end the war with dragons. I'm sure everyone here is skeptical."

"Not everyone."

Hiccup smiled to himself and finished off the bread, before standing and stretching. Toothless stood up and shook himself out as well and Hiccup scratched his chin. "You ready to face the Vikings, bud?" he asked his best friend in a whisper. Toothless bobbed his head a couple times and made a noise, which Hiccup responded with a similar noise. Valka didn't know what they were saying, but she knew they must be speaking to each other.

She went back downstairs to clean up, throwing the eel away and out of sight. Hiccup and Toothless followed soon after her.

"We're ready," Hiccup said.

"Follow me," Valka responded.

* * *

The Great Hall was definitely properly named. When Hiccup walked in with Toothless beside him, he saw just how_ great_ the place was. It was absolutely massive, with a large fire pit in the middle of the room, which was currently filled with Vikings. _You could fit so many dragons in here._ There were long tables stacked up against the walls, presumably to make room for the amount of bodies inside. Walking through the crowd, Hiccup honestly felt like he was walking to his execution. Toothless could feel his rider's tension and was immediately on guard.

At the head of the hall, there was a raised platform with a large chair in the middle. In this chair sat Stoick, looking angry and volatile. Toothless growled, baring his teeth, and Hiccup put a hand on his neck, wanting to calm him. It worked a little, but Toothless didn't move himself away from his best friend, not even in the slightest. Valka stood behind with the other Vikings, her eyes flitting between her husband and her long lost son, who stopped in front of Stoick. Toothless stopped as well, wrapping his tail around Hiccup, the same way he had the night before.

Everyone went silent as Stoick stood from where he sat. Hiccup stared up at him, standing as tall as he possibly could. It didn't really matter in the long run, considering the man had to be at least seven feet tall.

"You came last night, pleading for peace. You said the dragons wouldn't attack last night and you were right. There was no attack last night. But how can we trust that you won't just go back to your... dragons and have them attack us when we least expect it, especially now that we have some semblance of safety?" Stoick asked.

"You can't, I guess. I haven't proven to you that you can. But if you'd like, I will. I will prove that you can trust me, and that you can trust the dragons," Hiccup replied. "If you just earn their trust and show them respect-"

"Respect? You expect us to respect those beasts?!"

"Respect is mutual. If you respect them, they will respect you. And I can show you how to earn their trust, I know I can. You just have to let me earn your trust."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Stoick asked, his voice steely, his eyes narrowed.

Hiccup raised his chin. "You have dragons that you've captured, right? I can train those dragons, and I can show you how to train them as well. There are tricks for training each and every dragon, and I know them all. I've had fifteen years to learn about the dragons and how to gain their trust. Once you've earned a dragon's trust... there isn't anything that dragon wouldn't do for you," he explained, rubbing Toothless' neck to emphasize his point. Everyone could see how loyal and protective Toothless was of him, even if they still felt that dragons were nothing but evil, murderous beasts. "I can make Berk safe, not only for Vikings, but for dragons as well."

"And how shall we start trusting you, exactly?" Stoick asked.

"Let me help you. With anything. I'm good with my hands, I know about metal work. I can help with weaponry, and most importantly, I'll be helping you with the dragons. There won't be any raids from my dragons as long as I'm here, and for the dragons I don't know about... I can help you with them as well. I can talk to dragons, I can make them leave. I just need to go back to my dragons and-"

"No. How can we trust that you'll come back? We can't. You'll stay here or we won't even consider peace."

"I need to go back and talk to them. I need to tell them that everything is alright. If I don't go back, even for just a day, they will think something is wrong and they will come for Toothless and me. That's not what you want," Hiccup said. "If they think we've been harmed in any way, they will attack. We are their family, and families protect each other, whether human or dragon."

"Why don't you just send your dragon?"

"He can't fly without me."

Stoick stared at him, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Hiccup could tell the man was reluctant to agree, but at the same time he knew that all Stoick wanted was to protect his people. Hiccup just wanted the same.

"I understand that putting even the slightest bit of faith in me must be incredibly difficult for you. I'm a stranger, one who is defending the dragons. You hate the dragons, so you hate me and I get it. But we both want the same thing... to protect the ones we love. Please... just let me go back to them, just for a day, and I swear that I will come back. You can even send someone to go with me, and I promise I will bring them back safe and sound," Hiccup pleaded, trying to reason with the man in a way he knew would make him see. Hiccup didn't know Stoick, but he knew that a chief puts his people first. If Stoick wanted to protect his people, he would have to put trust in Hiccup that he could help.

"We'll send someone with you. If you do not bring them back safe and sound, we will consider it an act of war," Stoick relented after a few moments of silence.

"I'll go with him," Valka piped up. Both Stoick and Hiccup looked at her as she stepped up beside Hiccup. Stoick's eyes narrowed, his guard immediately up when it came to his wife. Hiccup wished he could say something in her honor, but he knew it wasn't his place, even if he was actually their son.

"No. I need someone strong and battle ready. Someone who can defend themselves at a moment's notice. Someone who is trained and prepared against dragons," Stoick said. Valka visibly deflated, glaring at her husband. The nerve of him to think that she couldn't defend herself. He just didn't trust her, and she knew it.

"Who do you suggest then, Stoick?" Valka snapped. Stoick looked around the room, at all the strong Vikings that could easily win against a dragon and would be willing to fight them if they had to. And then he noticed the Hofferson girl, Astrid. She was the best of her age, the strongest and the smartest. He pointed at her.

"Astrid Hofferson." Astrid's eyes went wide for the briefest of moments, before she glared at her chief.

"Isn't there anyone else who could go?" she asked, knowing full well that there was about fifty men within touching distance that would be willing to take her place, if only to be able to find out where the dragons' nest is.

"Are you really questioning your chief, girl?" Stoick retorted. Astrid huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, glowering over at Hiccup. She didn't respond again, but Stoick knew that in the end, she would listen to him.

"It's settled. Tomorrow, you will go, and you will be back by nightfall. If you're not, the war will rage on, and I promise you this dragon rider, your side will not win." Stoick stepped down from the rise above the floor and left the Great Hall then, another man with one real arm and one real leg hobbling after him. Hiccup looked over at the girl that had been given the task of riding with him and she sneered at him, before rushing out with the throng of Vikings. Valka moved over to him.

"I trust that you'll come back. You wouldn't want the war to continue. None of us do. But please... be careful with her," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment, before she too followed the crowd, leaving Hiccup and Toothless alone in the Great Hall.

"I feel like this isn't going to be the easiest trip home, bud," Hiccup said and Toothless groaned.

* * *

Outside, Valka noticed Astrid and ran over to her. "Astrid!" she called out, and the young woman stopped. Valka could see how tense she was, what with the way her hand was gripping the handle of her axe. _Best to tread lightly. _Valka moved in front of her. "I know you must not be happy about this."

"Oh no, it's completely fine. I love being thrown to the dragons. Literally," Astrid deadpanned, glaring.

"You're not being thrown to the dragons, dear. This is important. This could be the start of the end of the war!" Valka responded, trying to help her see the bright side.

"Or this vigilante who has been living with dragons his whole life could feed me to the ones he holds so dear," she retorted. Valka glared. She wasn't going to let anyone talk about her son that way.

"Hiccup wouldn't do that. I know you're scared to trust him, I know that everyone is, but he is here to help us. And I've seen the way he is with his dragon. They are meant to be together. He cares for them deeply, but he also doesn't want our human lives to be hurt either. I know that you will be safe with him. Just don't make it any harder than it has to be."

Astrid glared at her and shoved past her, walking off towards the hills that lead to the forest beyond the village. Valka sighed. She wondered if the girl remembered how she and Hiccup used to play together when they were little. She wondered if any of the sweet little girl she'd once known was still in there, underneath the incredibly rough exterior.

She was struck with the thought again that maybe Hiccup could help her. Maybe Hiccup _would _help her, without either of them even realizing it.

* * *

Hiccup waited a few minutes to leave the Great Hall. He didn't want to cause too much of a stir with Toothless, so he waited until the area was more vacated, before he ushered Toothless out of the building and up the hill as quickly as he could. Once he was sure they were out of sight into the forest, he jumped on Toothless' back and let his dragon do what he did best- fly.

They didn't go high, they just zipped through the trees, staying under the tree line so that no one would see them and think they were up to no good. Hiccup didn't want to create anymore trouble, he just wanted to fix everything, but he couldn't not let Toothless fly. It would be cruel to him.

So they flew, Hiccup and Toothless working together to move fluidly through the trees, as if they were just apart of the forest themselves. This was where they needed to be, in the air, together, working as a team, the best team.

Hiccup knew that was what he wanted to show the Vikings. That they could work with the dragons as a team, that they didn't have to kill them. The dragons could help them and in return, they would receive the most loyal companionship and protection that they had ever known. Hiccup didn't know what he would do or who he would be without Toothless, and if he could get the others to connect to dragons in a similar way... he knew that Berk would be a much happier place all around.

Once he knew they were plenty far enough away, Hiccup allowed Toothless to go a little higher, above the tree line. From where they were, Hiccup could see a beautiful cove, and it looked like a good spot to settle Toothless for a while. If the Vikings didn't know about it, then they wouldn't be able to find them and possibly try to hurt his best friend. He knew that they were on their way to working things out- or at least he hoped they were-, but that didn't mean he expected the Vikings to completely forget their dragon-killing ways. They were Vikings, after all, and killing dragons was an occupational hazard.

"Let's fly down there, bud. Check it out," he said and Toothless nodded, dipping down slightly. As they got closer to the cove, Hiccup heard some strange noises. The sound of someone grunting and the unmistakable sound of an axe hitting a tree. Hiccup hitched his foot so that Toothless would drop back into the tree line and land on the ground very gently, so as not to make a sound.

Hiccup dismounted and motioned for Toothless to stay hidden behind the trees. They moved quietly, the sounds getting louder and louder. As they got closer, Hiccup realized it was definitely a girl grunting, and a powerful one at that if the sound the axe made when it hit the tree meant anything.

They finally got up to her and Hiccup realized it was the girl who was assigned to ride with him back to his sanctuary. Astrid Hofferson, the same girl who he'd seen the night he arrived. She was violently throwing the axe and then ripping it out of the trees like it was absolutely nothing. Yup, she was definitely incredibly strong. The axe was almost as big as she was!

Hiccup was honestly a little mesmerized by her. So beautiful and strong, but... she looked desperately unhappy. That could've always had to do with the fact that she was stuck playing babysitter to a dragon rider though.

He went to take a step closer and a twig snapped under his foot. Everything seemed to freeze then as Astrid whipped around a spotted him, Toothless obviously right behind him. She narrowed her eyes at them and took a step closer. Just as she did that, Hiccup jumped into action, jumping on Toothless' back and taking off, heading towards the cove. Astrid followed them with her eyes, noting where they were headed, and quickly moved to pursue them.


	5. Chapter 4: Chance Accepted

**This one is a LONG one, at least for me. I would definitely not expect this length to happen all the time, I just guess I had a lot to write about.**

**Also, I would like to just establish some things for the future of this story. I've decided that I will not be including Drago in this story, mainly because I don't want it to be so close to the second movie that I become redundant. That's just fun to write and I also don't know how to change a lot of the things that happen to fit what I want to do. This is story is not going to be villain-less though, because I have decided to bring in one of the show villains. Dagur the Deranged to be precise, though I will be making him much more dark and deranged and much less comical. Also, way less rapey, because if you've watched Riders/Defenders of Berk, I hope I don't have to explain how rapey that character is. **

**So yeah, I probably didn't need to tell you any of this, but I just wanted to, so I could let people know what's happening. Anyways, I'll stop talking now. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

* * *

Astrid ran through the woods, axe clutched tightly in her hand until she saw a rock wall up ahead. She ran up to it, sighing angrily as she heard the sound of the Night Fury overhead. She was about to turn around and go back to Berk when she noticed a crack in the wall. She moved over to it and saw that it was a way through. Stealthily, she moved forward, careful not to get herself stuck until she came out on the other side, hiding herself behind a large rock and looking down into the cove.

Down on the ground, Hiccup had jumped off of Toothless and he was pacing around, making weird grunting and growling noises while he gestured wildly with his hands. The dragon was making them as well, and the with the way Hiccup was gesturing to him, Astrid realized they must be talking to one another. He could speak..._ dragon_? Astrid didn't even know it was possible for a human to speak to dragons.

_But then again, he was raised by them._

She watched as Hiccup moved forward and pet Toothless' face. Toothless, in response, started bouncing and almost... smiling... as if he truly just loved being the center of this person's attention. Maybe he did. But Astrid had never seen a dragon act like this before... it was the exact opposite of everything she'd come to know in her twenty years.

_No. No, there's no way that this is how all dragons are. Dragons are murderous beasts. Just because he has one nice dragon to show for it... and that one dragon is a __**Night Fury**__... still, there is no way that all dragons can be like this. It just isn't possible. He's just some lunatic who is probably setting us up for the biggest attack Berk has ever seen._

Astrid narrowed her eyes as she watched them continue to argue and... play? It looked like playing. Toothless knocked Hiccup over with his tail, causing Hiccup to laugh. He started play hitting him, to which Toothless started pawing at him, though there was no malice behind it. They were both smiling and happy.

Well... this definitely didn't look like the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself that Astrid had always imagined the Night Fury to be...

Astrid wanted to get a closer look. She didn't know why, but the curiosity was driving her crazy.

She moved down as quietly as she could onto some lower rocks, making sure to stay hidden the entire time. As she moved, she knew that she was being stupid. Why did she want to know anything about this dragon rider and his pet dragon?

_Because you're going to be forced to fly with him to his home filled with dragons tomorrow, that's why._

She got to the ground and peered around the rock she was crouching behind. Hiccup was sitting on the ground now, and the dragon was bounding around the area, sniffing things and rolling in the tall grass. If she didn't have an innate hatred of dragons, Astrid would've thought that was cute.

She couldn't see what Hiccup was doing, but she could see that he was looking down. She stealthily moved a little closer, keeping her eyes on the boy, but not on the dragon.

As she got closer, she could hear the sound of something scratching, like a pencil on paper. She craned her neck to see what he was doing, when she heard the sound of a branch snapping behind her. Astrid whipped around to see the dragon standing behind her. He snarled and Astrid's hand lifted, the one that was holding the axe.

"NO!" Hiccup grabbed the axe and threw it, before jumping between Astrid and Toothless. He must've heard his dragon and jumped into action. He grabbed Toothless' face, rubbing his jaw. "It's okay, bud, it's okay!" he said. Astrid growled and ran over, grabbing her axe. Toothless watched her and continued to snarl. Hiccup looked at her. "Put it down! You're scaring him."

"_I_ scared _him_? Really?" she asked incredulously.

"C'mon Toothless, it's okay," Hiccup whispered to the dragon, trying to soothe him. Astrid watched as the dragon stared at him for a moment, before his eyes dilated. He licked Hiccup's face and Hiccup smiled. "There you are, bud," he said, pressing his forehead to his dragon's for a moment. He turned back to Astrid. "I don't suggest waving an axe around him, or any dragon for that matter. It's only going to provoke them."

"Oh yeah, don't arm myself when there's a creature that wants to kill me," Astrid mumbled.

"Dragons are not killers. They only kill when they have to. They only attack when they feel they need to defend themselves." Astrid stared at him, her eyes narrowed. Hiccup stared back. "Why did you follow me?" he asked.

"Why did you follow me?" Astrid retorted.

"Fair enough." Toothless bumped his head under Hiccup's hand, so Hiccup raised his arm and rubbed Toothless' head. "I wasn't initially following you though. I was just out flying Toothless. I needed to get away from the village. I know I'm not particularly welcome."

"Yeah, well, we tend to not trust people who say dragons are harmless creatures."

"Even if they used to be one of you?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid grit her teeth. She didn't understand why she felt so angry. He wasn't actually provoking her, and aside from the looks the dragon was occasionally sending her, she knew he wasn't going to attack her. "Look, I don't know if you are him..."

"My name is Hiccup, his name was Hiccup, we were both taken by dragons, we both have scars on our chins presumably from dragons... I don't see how I can't be him."

"Yet you don't remember your life here at all?" Astrid asked, raising a brow. Hiccup shrugged.

"I don't know. I have a lot of vague memories, but... I just don't know. I'm hoping that maybe... maybe being here will help. Being around Valka... my mom." Hiccup walked around Astrid and picked up what he'd been doing. Astrid could see now that it was a little book. She watched Hiccup tuck it into his armor, as well as the pencil he'd obviously been drawing or writing with. Probably drawing... she remembered how he used to like to draw.

"Aren't you going to miss your dragons?" Astrid asked, her tone much snarkier than she'd intended it to be.

"Yes," Hiccup said, his tone completely serious. "But I'd rather they be safe than dead. And if I have to stay here and show you all the truth to keep them safe, then that's what I'll do." He smiled slightly, his shoulders bouncing a little. "But hey, I'll get to see them all tomorrow. Let them know I'm okay and that they'll all be okay on my watch. And I have Toothless... he's my best friend." Toothless bounded over to Hiccup at the mention of his name, wrapping himself around his rider. Astrid realized he'd been doing that the whole time.

He was protecting Hiccup from her.

"Yeah, well, Valka will be the only one to accept you. I wouldn't expect any kindness from the others," Astrid grumbled, pushing past them. Hiccup turned and watched her.

"Do you think I'm going to hurt you tomorrow?" he asked. She stopped and turned back to him.

"I don't think you could even if you really wanted to," she responded.

"I'm going to bring you back safe and sound, I hope you know that. You'll be completely safe with me. I won't hurt you and neither will the dragons. You can trust me and you can trust him." Hiccup pet between Toothless' eyes.

"Yeah, I don't know how much I can believe that. He doesn't look too keen on my presence," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, that's because of the giant axe you're holding. He thinks you want to hurt me, and he's very protective of me." Hiccup motioned to the weapon.

"Does he expect me to leave it tomorrow?"

"You won't be bringing any weapons. You won't need them."

"We obviously very much disagree on that."

Hiccup sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Why are you Vikings so stubborn?"

"I can't speak for the rest of them, but I know why I am. I've been taught my whole life that weapons are the way to go. I've been taught my whole life that dragons are evil and that we have to kill them before they kill us. Kill or be killed. And ever since_ you_ disappeared, I've been the smartest one and I've had to be the strongest one, and when you have so much pressure put on you your _entire_ life, stubborn doesn't even begin to cover what you become in the end."

"What does my disappearance have to do with any of that?" Hiccup couldn't help but ask, even though he could see how much anger he was the obvious cause of. He'd always thought he had a death wish, and this was probably going to be the proof of that.

"What_ doesn't_ it? We were five years old, but already, you were the smart one! You were so smart that it honestly amazes me that you can't remember your time here. You're the stupidest smart person I've ever met! And you were the chief's son, so everyone just assumed you would be the strongest of us all, though with how much armor you're wearing, I doubt there's a whole lot of muscle mass underneath that. But then you were gone and suddenly everyone was looking at me, because I was the second smartest when you were around, but since you were gone, I was officially the smartest. And then I become the strongest of our age, and as I got older I had to continue to be the strongest or everyone would think that I failed. I've never had a moment to be weak in my entire life and it's absolutely exhausting. I can't let myself be weak at all. I can't let myself have even the slightest vulnerable moment. I have to be the strongest. I have to be, because if I'm not the smartest and the strongest, then what am I?" Astrid was out of breath by the time she finished her speech. Most of what she said, she hadn't even meant to say. It all just kind of spilled out like word vomit and she couldn't take any of it back.

Hiccup was staring at her, his eyes wide. There was no pity though, like she expected. If there had been, she probably would've taken her axe to his face. Instead of pity, there was... empathy. Astrid didn't know how she felt about that.

"I'm sorry that I did that to you. But... you can allow yourself to be weak. We all need to be weak at least a little bit." Hiccup climbed onto Toothless' back, settling himself on the saddle. "When I'm on Toothless and we're so high we're touching the clouds... there is literally never a more vulnerable moment for me. I have to put every bit of trust I have in him. And I do... because I know he would never let anything happen to me." Hiccup looked into Astrid's eyes. "I think you need to feel what that feels like." He reached out his hand.

Astrid stared at Hiccup's hand for a moment, before her eyes flitted to Toothless. The way he was looking at her definitely didn't make her want to trust him. It was clear he didn't trust her.

"I don't want to feel what that feels like," she said, her voice soft. She took a step back.

"I know you don't know me, Astrid. But I promise you... I'm not going to let you get hurt. You can trust me. You can trust him."

"I don't think I can."

"Astrid, all I'm asking from you is what I'm asking from everyone else here on Berk. I'm asking for a chance. Just give me a chance. Let me show you..." Hiccup was pleading with her, his hand still outstretched. Astrid looked at Toothless again.

"I swear to all the Gods, if you get me killed..." she relented, before dropping her axe, moving towards Hiccup, smacking his hand away, and carefully climbing onto the dragon's back. Toothless made a sound low in his stomach that Astrid just did not trust at all. Hiccup rubbed the side of Toothless' head.

"Toothless, it's alright, bud," he said. "Let's fly. Gently..." he added in warning. Toothless' wings went up, and for a moment, Astrid thought everything was going to be fine, until the dragon took of into the air, much faster than either Hiccup or Astrid expected.

Astrid couldn't help the scream that tore from her throat as the dragon shot up into the air. Hiccup was frantically trying to get his dragon under control. "TOOTHLESS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE NEED HER TO LIKE US!" he yelled. Astrid grabbed at Hiccup, wrapping herself around him completely and holding on for dear life.

"THIS ISN'T VERY CONVINCING!" she yelled at him.

"HE'S STILL MAD AT YOU FOR EARLIER!"

"I WASN'T GOING TO HURT YOU!"

"TELL HIM THAT."

Astrid groaned, squeezing her arms around Hiccup's middle. She couldn't believe she was going to apologize to a dragon. "OKAY! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU AND I WASN'T GOING TO HURT HICCUP, I PROMISE! PLEASE I AM SORRY! I AM SO SORRY!"

Toothless seemed to listen because he stopped his crazy scary flying antics (which included but was not limited to vomit-inducing spinning and flying upside down). He evened out and started to fly more smoothly, going up higher so as to not be seen by the villagers, just in case. Astrid loosened her arms and her legs, her heart calming where it had been beating out of her chest. She looked around in amazement. She could literally reach up and touch the clouds! So she did. She reached up with both arms and let her fingers flit through the clouds. Her eyes slid closed and she actually smiled. She_ smiled_. Astrid couldn't remember the last time she smiled.

Hiccup glanced back at her and smiled as well. He reached down and rubbed his hand between Toothless' eyes, letting him know that he was doing a good job.

"So you do this everyday? You... you put your trust in him every single day and just... _fly_?" Astrid asked. Hiccup nodded.

"I do. Every single day."

"Is it always like this?"

"Like what?"

"Amazing?"

Hiccup laughed softly and nodded. "Yes. It's always amazing."

Astrid slid one arm back around his waist. "Maybe flying with you tomorrow won't be so bad. But don't you dare tell a soul I said that," she said.

"I won't." He looked back at her. "You wanna go back now?" he asked. Astrid bit her lip and shook her head.

"We can stay up here a little longer," she said, resting her chin on his shoulder. He smiled and nodded, hitching Toothless' tail so that he would go even higher.

* * *

When they landed back in the cove, the sky was dark and the water looked black. Hiccup helped Astrid down, before getting down himself. Astrid moved over to Toothless' face and reached out her hand. She waited until Toothless pressed his head against her hand before she rubbed her hand between his eyes. "Maybe you aren't such a monstrous beast after all," she said with a smile. Hiccup laughed softly.

"He doesn't think you're so bad either... at least when you're not holding up your axe threateningly," he said. Astrid smiled at him. Hiccup couldn't help but think how pretty she looked when she smiled at him like that.

"Well... It's good he likes me since I'm going to have to ride with you again tomorrow. I wouldn't want a repeat of earlier," she said with a shrug. Hiccup nodded.

"That won't happen again, I promise. But see... this is what I'm talking about! You give a dragon respect, they'll respect you back," he said. Astrid laughed and shook her head.

"Okay Mr. Serious. I'm going to go back to the village now. I'll see you in the morning," she said. She picked up her axe and brushed her hair behind her ear, before looking at Hiccup again. "Goodnight, Hiccup."

"Goodnight, Astrid," Hiccup responded. Astrid nodded and walked off, feeling her heart race as she left the cove, but for a completely different reason than before.

* * *

Hiccup hadn't expected the entire village to watch him and Astrid leave the next day. It was very early in the morning and he had been getting Toothless ready when suddenly he was surrounded by Vikings. Maybe they figured Astrid would put up a fuss or maybe she would just try to kill them so that she wouldn't have to actually get on the dragon. But she didn't say a word as Hiccup got onto Toothless' back and then helped her up. In fact, she didn't make eye contact with anyone.

Valka came over and scratched Toothless' jaw gently, completely uncaring of the fact that everyone was watching.

"You promise to come back?" she asked. Hiccup nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't kidnap Astrid," he said. It was Valka's turn to nod and she looked over at Astrid, who was still keeping her eyes down. Valka returned her eyes to her son and reached out to touch Hiccup's arm.

"Fly safe."

"I will."

"And remember," they both looked over to see Stoick watching them with narrowed eyes. "If you don't bring her back, consider the war effort doubled," he warned. Hiccup stared at him for a moment, before looking down at his best friend.

"Let's go, bud," he said, and then Toothless was off, flying into the sky and heading towards their home.

The ride was quiet. Neither Hiccup nor Astrid said a word. He didn't want to break the silence with some sarcastic remark, because he didn't know what was going on in her head. Maybe she was scared. Maybe last night had just been a weird night for her and she was back to being apprehensive. But she didn't seem apprehensive. She just didn't seem like she had anything she wanted to say. She was holding onto him tightly though, so there was a lot of mixed signals.

Hiccup just didn't know how to read people after not being around them for fifteen years.

It only took a few hours before they got to the Sanctuary. Hiccup heard Astrid gasp, and he knew why. From the outside, it was kind of terrifying. Large jagged sheets of green ice. It was very intimidating to the unknowing eye. But that was the point, that had always been the point. The more intimidating, the less likely someone was to try and enter it, therefore keeping the dragons safe.

"You nervous?" Hiccup asked.

"No," Astrid responded. Hiccup could hear the hesitancy in her voice as they flew towards the entrance. Once inside, they touched down, and Hiccup slid off of Toothless before moving to help Astrid down, but she was frozen, staring wide-eyed around. Hiccup looked up and noticed then that a good number of dragons were surrounding them. He turned to them.

"It's okay! She's with me," he said in Dragonese. "She won't hurt you." He turned back to Astrid and held up his hand for her. "You're safe, Astrid. I promise," he said to her. She looked down at him, before taking his hand and sliding off of Toothless. "Follow me. We don't have much time if we want to get back to Berk before nightfall."

He ran off, holding tight to Astrid's hand to make sure she stayed with him, Toothless following behind them. They made their way through a small rocky tunnel. Hiccup maneuvering through just fine though Astrid, not used to the place, had a harder time and Hiccup had to help her a lot.

"I... I don't understand. This is where you live?" she asked.

"You'll see!" Hiccup responded.

They climbed over a large, slopping rock, and then Hiccup grinned back at her, before they entered into the actual sanctuary. Astrid's jaw dropped. It was absolutely beautiful, like a tropical forest inside of a giant iceberg. And there were dragons _everywhere_. Astrid didn't feel afraid though... she was just in absolute awe.

Hiccup looked over at her and watched her face as she took it all in. Cloudjumper approached them then, and the sheer size of him had Astrid gasping. Toothless bounded over to him, looking like a happy puppy as Cloudjumper sat in front of them, cocking his head. Hiccup squeezed Astrid's hand.

"Astrid, this is Cloudjumper. He's the dragon who took me. He's the one who brought me here. He's a leader of sorts," Hiccup said, introducing them. Astrid looked at Hiccup for a moment, before looking up at Cloudjumper.

"Uh... hi..." she said. Cloudjumper's eyes blinked and he made a gurgling sound, which Hiccup responded to with a similar noise. "What did he say?" Astrid asked.

"He said welcome," Hiccup said, before he said a few more things to Cloudjumper in Dragonese. Cloudjumper nodded and flew off. Astrid stared at Hiccup.

"What did you say to him?"

"I told him the situation. He's going to tell the other dragons. None of them will be coming to Berk until it's safe," Hiccup said.

"What do you mean_ until_?" Astrid asked. Hiccup shook his head.

"There isn't time for that. There's someone else I want you to meet before I collect my things and we leave," he said, before pulling her over to a ledge. As they got closer, she noticed that there was a much larger dragon than any dragon she'd ever seen. Once they were at the ledge, she saw just how massive, as he basically filled the lagoon he was rested in and then some. "This is the Bewilderbeast. He's one of the last of his species. He's the king of dragons," Hiccup explained. "He protects us. He made this home for dragons and he keeps us safe. Isn't he absolutely incredible?"

Astrid stared at him, noticing that the dragons were bowing their heads to him. "I... I don't have any words," she whispered, shaking his head. Hiccup smiled.

"C'mon, this way. I need to collect my things." He lead her to a cave, and when they walked inside, she noticed that it was his home. There was a stove and a table and a bed. The walls were covered in drawings of dragons... drawings that Astrid realized Hiccup must've done. He let go of her hand. "I um... I have to change, if you don't mind. So I'll just... yeah, wait here." Hiccup moved away from her and went past the bed and out through a different hole in the wall. Astrid stood there for a moment, looking around, before realizing she was alone.

"Hiccup, wait-" Astrid moved to follow him, but paused when she noticed that he was undressing in this other room. She stepped out of sight, but followed his movements with her eyes. He really did have so much armor on, but once it was gone and he was left in just his tunic, Astrid could see that she'd been wrong about his body. There were definitely muscles. He wasn't large and overtly muscular like Snotlout for example, but he was definitely not lanky.

And then he took off his tunic and the muscles in his back were honestly a little mesmerizing to her. Astrid had never been one to focus on the attractiveness of men, she'd always been focused on other things and her options on Berk were limited and unappealing. But Hiccup, even just from the back... Astrid was biting her lip, wishing to just run her hands over his skin and feel the muscles contract under her fingertips.

It was when he went for the pants that she was nudged from behind. She jumped and looked behind her to see Toothless staring at her with a very unamused expression. She blushed and quickly moved away from the door, going over to sit at the table instead. Hiccup came back in a few minutes later, fully dressed and a pack on his back.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," he said. She smiled tightly at him and he noticed the tenseness. "You alright?" he asked. She nodded far too quickly.

"Yes! Yeah, I'm just... anxious to get back," she said. Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah, we should get going," he said. They left his little home and Hiccup said goodbye to the dragons a second time, promising them that everything would be okay and that he would be back. Then they left.

The flight back was just as silent, but Astrid found herself holding onto Hiccup just a little bit tighter, her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

They got back right before nightfall and were greeted by the entire village. Stoick had just glared at Hiccup, as if he'd been hoping he wouldn't make it back, before he stormed up to the Great Hall. Valka hugged Hiccup tightly, and that was the moment that Astrid decided to leave, heading home and away from the crowds. She didn't want to talk to anyone, she just wanted to be alone.

As she laid in her bed that night, staring up at the ceiling, she wondered what on earth she had gotten herself into.


	6. Chapter 5: Dragon Training

**So, this was written extremely quickly, huh? I didn't expect that, but I'm going to be pretty busy the next couple of days and probably a lot after Monday because I'm starting my first job. ****This isn't an excuse to not update, I'm just letting you know that the next update won't happen as quickly as this one did. That was just sheer luck! **

**So yeah, enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think as well, if you'd like.**

* * *

It had been a few days after they had returned to Berk that Hiccup started dragon training lessons. He'd decided it was best to settle into life there first and start helping around the village. He wanted to gain the trust of the villagers, or at least start to, so that they wouldn't be so opposed to him teaching them how to train dragons.

But after talking to Valka about it, he knew he needed to get the training going. There were several captured dragons that had been there since before Hiccup even arrived, and they would be perfect to use, considering he didn't know any of them. Not to toot his own horn, but his dragons rarely got caught.

Hiccup was feeling good about the prospect of teaching the Vikings how to handle dragons the right way, instead of resorting to violence. This would be such an eye-opener for them, and hopefully it would result in the war being close to over. But when he showed up at their killing stadium, which was where the dragon training would be taking place, the only people there was Astrid and the other young Vikings their age. Astrid walked up to him and rubbed Toothless' head gently.

"Sorry... they were the only ones I could convince to come..." she said. "Mainly because I still have power over them." Hiccup sighed and shrugged.

"It's fine. At least someone showed up at all," he said, giving Astrid a small smile.

"So what is this? You dating him now or something? Because honestly babe, I'd like to know now before I grow out this rocking beard for you," one of the Vikings said. He was the shortest one of the group, which Hiccup found a bit ironic. He raised a brow at him and then at Astrid, who groaned.

"Snotlout, trust me, I'm not dating anyone," she said. The Viking, Snotlout, grinned.

"So that means I still have a chance? Awesome."

Astrid glared and shook her head, before motioning for Hiccup to follow her over to the group. Hiccup kept his hand on Toothless' head as they walked over, keeping him calm. "Hiccup, this is Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut," Astrid introduced them. Hiccup nodded at each of them.

"Are you really going to show us how to train dragons? Because I'm at least ninety-seven point eight percent sure that a dragon can't be trained," Fishlegs said. "Nothing in the Book of Dragons talks about training them at all."

"Well, there wouldn't be anything about sparing a dragon's life in a book about how to kill dragons, would there?" Hiccup asked. Fishlegs flushed. Hiccup looked at each of them. "I know you're all hesitant, but trust me, you'll be amazed at how much you'll learn from this and from the dragons themselves. You'll make a connection with a dragon that you won't make with any person. I know, because Toothless here is my best friend." Hiccup smiled at Toothless and Toothless smiled back. Hiccup looked back up at the others. "How many dragons are in here?"

"There's four. A Deadly Nadder, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronckle, and a Hideous Zippleback," Fishlegs responded. "There was a Terrible Terror, but someone-" Fishlegs glared at the twins, "-let it out." The twins whistled and Hiccup stared at them for a moment.

"Ahh, a Zippleback. Perfect for you two," Hiccup said. They looked at each other then back at him.

"Wait, what?" Tuffnut asked.

"What do you mean perfect?" Ruffnut asked.

"You're all getting dragons today," Hiccup said, before walking over to the first barred door. "Which is this?" he asked.

"That would be the Nadder," Astrid replied. Hiccup nodded.

"How about you take the Nadder? They're tough and not to be messed with, but still...uh, yeah, um powerful..." he said, trailing off with a blush, before pushing the lever to open the door. He quickly moved in front of it as it opened and the Nadder popped out, sniffing at him. Hiccup smiled and held his hand up to let her sniff it, before he scratched her jaw. He motioned for Astrid to come over. "Scratch her just like this. Nadders loved to have their jaws scratched." Astrid walked over and did what Hiccup instructed, scratching the Nadder's jaw and then under her jaw, which made the Nadder basically fall at her feet.

Astrid's eyes went wide and she looked up at Hiccup. Hiccup smiled at her and nodded. "It's alright. That's a good thing. You just found her spot. Keep petting her, she's completely relaxed now."

He went over to the next door. Fishlegs stepped forward. "That's the Gronckle," he said. Hiccup opened a little pocket he had on his armor and pulled out a bundle of grass.

"This is dragon nip. Just hold it up, okay?" Hiccup handed the nip to Fishlegs and then moved over to the door, opening it. The Gronckle burst out and flew straight at Fishlegs, who was right in front of her. Fishlegs whimpered and closed his eyes tightly, holding up his hand. Once the dragon got to him and smelled the nip, she was immediately down, his eyes dilated and her back leg twitching happily. Fishlegs looked down at her in amazement and then back up at Hiccup. Hiccup picked up a few rocks and handed them to Fishlegs. "Try feeding her these. She'll love you for it."

Hiccup walked away from Fishlegs and went to the third door. The twins ran over, obviously eager after having seen Astrid and Fishlegs subdue their own dragons. "This the Zippleback?" Hiccup asked. They nodded. Hiccup went over and grabbed the basket that he'd brought in. He opened it, revealing a basket full of fish. "Each of you grab two. The way to train a Zippleback is to feed both heads at the same time. Two heads and two twins. See? Perfect fit."

Hiccup waited until they followed his instructions, before he opened the door. The Zippleback came out, one head producing gas while the other produced little shocks. The twins both held up their fish. Each head leaned in close and sniffed the fish, before they each ate the fish at the same time. Hiccup grinned. The twins then held up their hands and waited until the heads pressed against their fingers, both of them grinning at their win.

One dragon left and one Viking left. Hiccup looked over at Snotlout. "I guess that leaves the Monstrous Nightmare for you," he said, before going over to the door. Snotlout's eyes went wide.

"Wait! Aren't you going to give me some kind of fish or dragon grass or something?" he asked, his voice frantic. Hiccup shook his head.

"Monstrous Nightmares just need to be showed trust. Don't worry. I'll lead him out and help you," he responded.

"But what if he's on fire?!" Snotlout asked.

"Just stay calm. Everything will be fine." Hiccup opened the door slowly, knowing that Monstrous Nightmares particularly hated to be confined, but he was ready. The dragon was on fire, but the moment Hiccup could see even the slightest sliver of him, he talked soothingly to the dragon in Dragonese, letting him know that he was okay and safe. Once the door was fully opened, the dragon was no longer on fire and he stalked out of his stall, staring at Hiccup with narrowed eyes, his pupils incredibly thin. Toothless, who had just been watching everything happen, was immediately on guard, but Hiccup held out his hand towards him, telling him everything was alright.

Hiccup held out his other hand in front of the dragon and slowly put it on his snout. The dragon let him. They walked carefully, Hiccup going backwards towards Snotlout. Once he got to him, he reached out and grabbed Snotlout's wrist. Snotlout shouted, since he hadn't expected it, but Hiccup held on tight and put his hand over Hiccup's, before removing his own so that Snotlout was the one petting the dragon. After a few moments, Snotlout relaxed, and so did the Monstrous Nightmare, making a slight purring noise as his eyes dilated.

"There you go..." Hiccup whispered, smiling. "Just show him respect, and he'll show you respect back." Snotlout smiled and rubbed the dragon's face.

"This is so crazy... I'm petting a dragon!" he cheered. Hiccup smirked and looked over at Astrid, who was sitting besides the Nadder, just stroking her beak. The look she was giving the dragon... Hiccup could already see the bond forming. In fact, as Hiccup looked around, he could see all of the Vikings seemingly really enjoying their time with the dragons.

"Are we riding them today?" Ruffnut asked. Hiccup shook his head.

"No. You need to get to know your dragons first, make sure that they can fully trust you and you can fully trust them. Spending time with them like this will show you that they aren't the murderous beasts you always believed them to be," he explained.

"So we're just spending... what, quality time with them?" Snotlout asked.

"Exactly!" Hiccup announced. "You're just starting your bond. The bond you create with your dragon will be one of the strongest bonds you've ever made or will ever make in your entire life."

"What's the next step in getting a stronger bond?" Astrid asked. Hiccup looked over at her.

"Naming would be good. If you give them a name, it's showing them that they mean something to you, or that they will mean something to you. Obviously, you've just met them, but it would be a great start," Hiccup said. Astrid looked up at her Nadder, who was already nudging Astrid's head with her own. She smiled.

"Stormfly," she said. "I feel like that's her name." Hiccup grinned. One by one, the young Vikings named their dragons. The others picked names that were all too appropriate for the type of dragon they were currently bonding with. What Hiccup loved though was how quickly the Vikings seemed to embrace their new friends. Maybe it was because they were younger and more susceptible to change. Maybe they could be the start of something bigger, of all of the Vikings seeing the way that dragons truly were. Maybe soon, every Viking on Berk would want a dragon of their own.

Hiccup didn't know for sure, but since the first time he came to Berk, he was feeling very hopeful. He just wanted things to work out so that he could bring his worlds back together.

He spent some more time explaining all of the different things about each dragon. Things like how effective dragon nip was for them, or where they liked to be scratched the most, what their favorite things to eat were, and naturally that eels are very bad for them and to never even try to give them an eel. Hiccup was thankful that they all seemed very receptive to it, even if he had to repeat himself a few times for some of them.

At the end of the day, and after the others had left, Hiccup promised the dragons that he would work on getting them more comfortable sleeping quarters. When he turned around after closing the last dragon in, he expected to just see Toothless, but instead he saw Astrid standing there as well.

"Today was great," she said, looking over to where Stormfly's door was. Hiccup followed her gaze.

"I'm still amazed at how easy it was," Hiccup commented. Astrid shrugged and walked over to him.

"I mean, you already had my cooperation, and with the exception of Fishlegs, the others aren't the most intelligent Vikings around. Therefore they aren't too difficult to please," she said.

"Well, still. It went really well. I just hope this will be the start of something bigger, you know? Imagine how great this place would be if there was peace between the Vikings and the dragons? I mean, I haven't even told you all that the dragons could do to help the village! There's so many benefits to peace and so many possibilities." Toothless walked over and Hiccup scratched his ear flap. "You know... Toothless hasn't gotten to fly today. Would you like to come to the cove with us?" he asked, looking at Astrid.

She just smiled.

* * *

They landed back on the ground, outside of the cove. They hadn't really left the cove at all though, just circled around it for a bit, before landing on the other side of the rock wall. Hiccup had actually made Astrid laugh and the sound had been glorious. He loved seeing her so happy, and he wondered if she ever really looked like this around anyone else.

Astrid hopped off of Toothless and went around to his front, rubbing his face. Toothless smiled at her, already so comfortable with her. Hiccup hopped off as well and grinned at them. Astrid looked up and flushed a little. "He's amazing, you know," she said softly. Hiccup nodded. "I can't wait to ride my own dragon. You know, by myself. Not that riding with you isn't amazing, but I really want to know how it feels to do it solo."

Hiccup's eyes lit up. "You want to ride Toothless? Solo?" he asked. She looked up at him.

"Really? But... he's your dragon and I don't know how to work your harness system..." she said.

"Don't worry, it's really simple. As long as you don't plan on doing any tricks, you should be fine with two different positions. Here, I'll show you. Get on him." Hiccup motioned for Astrid to climb back on. She bit her lip, before climbing onto him and putting her feet where she was supposed to. Hiccup showed her the different positions, the ones that she would need to know to fly him just around the island a little.

"Hiccup, I don't know... shouldn't I be saving this for when the others get to ride as well?" Astrid asked.

"Just think of it as a private lesson. The others don't even need to know. And Toothless will be great practice. If you can ride him, you can ride any dragon, especially since Stormfly will be much less work." Toothless grumbled at that and Hiccup laughed. "Oh, you know what I mean." He pat the side of Toothless' neck. "Just take it slow. Circle around, and if you have any trouble, call for me. I'll come find you," Hiccup explained.

Astrid nodded. "Alright... ready, Toothless?" she asked and the dragon smiled back at her, before rising into the air. They took off at a decent speed, flying above the tree line. Hiccup watched them until they were out of sight. Then he sat down and pulled out his sketchbook and pencil. Might as well keep himself busy until they got back.

After a few minutes of silence, Hiccup heard a twig snap and he looked up to see that he was suddenly surrounded... by strangers. They were walking towards him, men in heavy armor. They looked like Vikings, but they definitely weren't from Berk. Hiccup's heart dropped. He was completely defenseless, considering he had no weapons and Toothless wasn't with him.

"Well, what do we have here?" the man directly in front of him asked. "I didn't think we'd actually encounter anyone while scoping out the place."

Hiccup jumped up, his pencil and sketchbook dropped and forgotten on the ground. He tried to make himself look bigger than he actually was, similar to the day he first came to Berk. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man smirked, the expression sending chills down Hiccup's spine. "The name is Dagur. I'm the leader of the Berserker tribe. And who might you be?"

"I'm Hiccup... son of Stoick the Vast, the chief of the island you're currently on," Hiccup said, glad when his voice didn't waver. He wasn't lying... but he really didn't want this to come back and bite him on the ass. The man seemed to smirk even more, and it was honestly terrifying.

"Is that so? Grab him." Suddenly several men lunged at Hiccup and he jumped away, only to get grabbed regardless. He struggled against the hold, kicking at whoever came close to try and subdue him anymore than he already was. "I see we have a fighter here! Well, I wouldn't expect less from the son of_ Stoick the Vast_." Dagur laughed.

"What do you want from me?" Hiccup asked, continuing to struggle. Dagur walked over to him slowly, getting extremely close to his face. Hiccup leaned away.

"What I want is what is rightfully mine. The island of Berk and all of its inhabitants." Dagur stared at Hiccup for a moment, before looking at his men. "What do you say we use this lad, huh? Instead of taking him prisoner, we could use him to send a message to his_ father_."

"Just let me grab my pencil and paper and I'll get right on that message," Hiccup said, even though he knew better than to sass someone who was obviously dangerous, especially when he had no line of defense himself. God, he wished Astrid and Toothless would come back, but at the same time, he didn't want them to. He didn't know what these men were capable of, and he didn't want to put Astrid or Toothless in danger. He could handle a couple of Viking thugs.

Dagur chuckled at Hiccup's comment, but it wasn't a cheerful laugh. He could hear the disdain dripping from it. "No, no, no, I don't think you grasp the situation at hand here, Hiccup. We need to send a message that us Berserkers don't take things lying down. The treaty has been broken, and we will not rest until we have Berk in our clutches."

"And you're sure that you'll even be able to accomplish that? Berk has a few secret weapons up its sleeve, you know. I'd be pretty threatened by us if I were you," Hiccup retorted.

"Oh yeah? And are you the face of that secret weapon? Because if you are, I'm definitely not impressed." Dagur looked to the men holding onto Hiccup and they let him go. For a moment, Hiccup thought he might be able to get away, but the moment he attempted to run in the opposite direction, he was shoved to the ground, hard. It momentarily knocked the wind out of him and he quickly moved to try and get away, but someone stepped onto his back, pressing down and making him gasp for air.

He couldn't see Dagur, but he could hear him chuckling again, as if this whole situation was absolutely hilarious to him. Maybe it was. Maybe Hiccup really had chosen the wrong people to sass.

"I think the most appropriate messages are the ones that are impossible to miss," he said. Hiccup heard the sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath. He was even more desperate to get away now, wiggling and trying to get out from underneath the weight holding him down. "Aw, look at this! He's trying to escape. Too bad that's about to be extremely difficult for you."

Hiccup didn't see Dagur raise the sword. He didn't see him swing it down until it sliced right through his left leg, below the knee and right above his ankle, severing it entirely. He did feel the intense pain though, and the scream that broke from his throat could only be described as bloodcurdling.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Dagur picking up his sketchbook.


	7. Chapter 6: Coming Around

**I'm sorry this one is pretty short. I hit a slight wall with this chapter and struggled with it a bit, but as I got through it, I figured out how I want things to work out and happen with the rest of the story. That's a good thing, and hopefully I don't forget the direction I want to go in. **

**I would also like to thank everyone for favoriting and following this story and reviewing it! It means so much to me, it really does. The response I've gotten is very positive and it makes me feel really good that people like it. I know it's not a perfect story, I'm sure there are holes in it, but I'm still really enjoying it and that hasn't happened in a very long time. So yeah, that's all I want to say for now. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The first sign that something wasn't right was the mysterious ships that were docked at the far end of the island. No one ever docked back there, in fact most of the island's inhabitants had probably never even been back there. The second sign was the scream. Never before had Astrid heard a sound like that before and it honestly made her feel sick to her stomach.

Toothless' reaction though was much more visceral. His ear flaps flew straight up and he turned around so quickly that they almost fell right out of the sky.

Astrid had to hold on extra tightly to the harness as Toothless flew back towards Hiccup, going so much faster than she'd ever wanted to or was prepared to fly. They were going so fast that Astrid didn't bother to look down, even though with how thick the treetops were, there was no way she'd be able to see the band of Berserkers fleeing the island in the opposite direction.

As they flew closer and closer, Astrid felt her heart sinking in her chest, and when they finally got to where they'd left Hiccup, Astrid felt like she might vomit. Being a Viking, you saw a lot of questionable things, but this... this had her heart pounding so fast and her stomach swirling unpleasantly.

Hiccup was on the ground, on his stomach, blood pouring out of the wound where his left foot and ankle were supposed to be. Toothless dropped to the ground and didn't even let Astrid get off before he was by Hiccup's side, crooning unhappily and nudging at him to try and get him to move. His skin was deathly pale, and Astrid knew she had to act fast.

She jumped off of Toothless and ran over to him, taking his severed pant leg (and ignoring the severed limb) and quickly wrapped it around the wound, trying to stop the blood flow. She needed to make sure he had enough blood so that he wouldn't die on the ride back. She couldn't let him die. He'd just come back into their lives and... and... Toothless would never forgive her! Nor would Valka! She couldn't let him die!

With every ounce of care that she had, Astrid picked Hiccup up, thankful when Toothless put his head under Hiccup's body and helped her, though it didn't help when Astrid tried to climb on his back. She ended up just draping Hiccup over him carefully and then climbing on, making sure Hiccup was secure before patting Toothless' neck.

"Okay Toothless, you need to fly fast, but careful. We need to get back to the village!"

Toothless nodded before taking off. Astrid held Hiccup tight with one arm while holding onto the harness with her free hand. She couldn't risk both of them falling off, because that wouldn't be any good for anyone.

_Gods, if he survives this, he is going to run back to the sanctuary. I... I can't blame him._

Hiccup seemed to get paler and paler with every passing moment and Astrid felt so nervous, so scared that she wasn't going to get him back in time. By the time they did back, she was running on so much adrenaline that when they landed, she lifted Hiccup right into her arms and ran to the chief's house, which thankfully Toothless had landed near. Toothless bounded after them.

"VALKA!" Astrid screamed, before kicking open the door and running inside. Valka, who was standing right behind the door, looked at Hiccup and her eyes widened. She moved to help Astrid move him to the bed.

"What happened?" she asked as she grabbed some cloth and rope, pressing the cloth to the end of his... Gods, his _stump_, and tied the rope tightly around the end to cut off the circulation.

"I don't know! I was flying Toothless and we saw these ships and then we heard him scream, but I didn't see anyone!" Astrid said. Valka held the cloth tightly against him, hoping to stop the blood flow. She could tell it was already beginning to slow, which was a good sign and showed her that Astrid had done the right thing, but there was still more they needed to do.

"Well, someone obviously did this to him. When he wakes up, we'll get some food in his system and ask him what happened. Hopefully he remembers," Valka said. She knew Hiccup was going to be okay... Vikings lost limbs all the time. But the thought that something had happened to him... it destroyed her to know that she hadn't been there to help him. "Astrid, go get Gobber."

"I'm staying with him," Astrid said, not even stopping to think of the connotations of her comment. Valka looked up at her.

"Astrid, he isn't going to wake up right away. We need Gobber if he wants to walk again," she said, her voice stern. Astrid stared at her for a moment, before glancing at Hiccup's pale, sleeping face. She sighed.

"Fine. I'll be right back." She ran out and Toothless came closer, nuzzling his head against Hiccup's, making severely unhappy sounds. He knew there was something wrong and he was incredibly worried about his rider. Valka rubbed the side of his head.

"It's okay, Toothless... he'll be up soon," she said, though she wasn't entirely sure how true that statement was.

* * *

His head felt heavy, as did his body, as if he hadn't moved in a while. He felt something nudge against his head, and he knew immediately that it was Toothless. He heard his best friend make a few grumbly noises. Hiccup could feel his impatience. It actually made him smile a little.

He opened his eyes and naturally, the first face he saw was Toothless'. His smile widened as he reached up and rubbed the sides of his jaw. "Hey bud," he whispered. Toothless licked his face, obviously happy that his best friend was awake. "Yeah, I missed you too," he added with a yawn, heading Toothless' head.

"You're awake." Hiccup looked up to see Astrid walking into the house. He smiled at her.

"It would appear so, wouldn't it?" he asked as she walked over, but then she punched his arm. "Ow! Why would you do that?"

"That's for scaring me," she whispered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I thought you were going to die." Hiccup smiled at her and sat up, Toothless helping him. "Hiccup, wait-" He could feel that something wasn't right... he looked down at where his legs were... well, where one was. He pulled back the blanket and where his left foot once was, there was now a metal contraption. He reached out and touched it.

"I... I thought I dreamt that..." he whispered. Astrid stared at him for a few moments, letting him just absorb the new prosthetic.

"Gobber made it. He was just going to make you a plain wooden peg leg like his, but Valka told him that you deserved better than that and that it wouldn't be very useful to you. She said you needed something more versatile, and with all of the metal work you've done... It's not the greatest, but you'll be able to walk," Astrid explained. Hiccup sighed.

"It's fine for now. I'll probably make a few tweaks," he whispered. Toothless nudged his snout against the peg leg and Hiccup smiled at him, rubbing his hand between Toothless' eyes. "Yeah bud, now we're even. It's poetic justice, isn't it? I wasn't physically there for you... you weren't physically there for me." Toothless crooned unhappily and Hiccup hugged his head again. "I know, bud, I know."

"He's upset he wasn't there for you, isn't he?" Astrid asked. Hiccup just nodded. Astrid opened her mouth to ask something else, but the door opened up and Valka walked in, a basket with a cooked chicken under one arm and a jug of water under the other.

"You're awake! Good! We need to get some food into you and then we'll get you walking," she said, setting the basket and the jug on the table. She made Hiccup a plate and got him a cup of water. He drank down the water quickly and then began to eat, eating much more slowly than he drank the water though.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"A couple days," Valka responded. "We fixed you up, made sure we wouldn't lose you."

Hiccup nodded and continued to eat. Astrid couldn't understand how Valka was staying so calm. Everyone in the village had heard about what happened and they were all desperate to know who had done this to Hiccup. They wanted to know so that they could start fortifying the island. This had obviously been an attack, though from who or what, no one was entirely sure.

Once Hiccup was done eating, he stood carefully, brushing off help from anyone. The moment he took a step though, he fell forward, though Toothless was there to catch him. He walked around a bit, getting more of a hang of it with every step, until he had to sit back down. Valka moved so she was sitting beside him on the bed.

"Hiccup..." she started and he looked up at her. "I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but... do you know who did this to you?" she asked. He stared at her and sighed.

"I didn't know who he was, but he told me. His name was Dagur. He said he was the leader of some tribe... the Berseekers?" Both Valka's and Astrid's eyes widened. Hiccup looked between the two of them. "What?"

"The _Berserkers_. Dagur the Deranged did this to you?" Astrid asked.

"Well, now that I know his full title, it makes a little bit more sense," Hiccup deadpanned, which earned him two very disapproving and unamused looks.

"Did he say anything else besides his name?" Valka asked.

"He said he wanted to send Stoick and everyone in Berk a message. I was the message."

"You told him you're Stoick's son, didn't you?"

"I... might have."

Valka sighed. "You didn't know. But this is bad, Hiccup. Dagur is not someone to be messed with. The Berserkers are volatile."

"This coming from Vikings..." Hiccup muttered.

"You don't understand, Hiccup. We had a treaty with the Berserkers for years, one that was kept in place to keep the peace, and we never had an issue. But the moment Dagur came of age, it's said he murdered his own father, the one who had been part of the treaty, and took control of the Berserkers. Now he wants Berk, believes it's his right to be the king of all Vikings," Valka explained. She let out a deep breath. "I need to go tell Stoick." She stood up and so did Hiccup.

"I'll go with you," he said. Valka rounded on him.

"No! You stay here and rest," she said, pushing him back down carefully before leaving the house. Hiccup sighed.

"She's right. You need to rest," Astrid said. Hiccup leaned against the headboard and looked down at his leg.

"I've been here less than a week and I'm already looking more like a Viking."

"Well, no offense, but you never looked much like a dragon," Astrid said, staring down at his leg too. "Can't imagine why they ever wanted you in the first place," she added softly. Hiccup looked up at her.

"Because they felt I belonged with them."

* * *

Valka ignored everyone as she made her way to the Great Hall, knowing that was where her husband currently was. That's where he always was. She walked inside, and sure enough he was there, standing at one of the large tables with his men around him, probably pouring over the maps. She walked up to them and cleared her throat. Everyone looked up.

"He's awake," she said. "And he told me who mutilated him." She and Stoick stared at each other for a moment, before he dismissed the others. Once they cleared out, Valka moved closer to the table. "He said it was Dagur the Deranged."

Stoick visibly bristled. He'd been expecting this ever since he heard that Dagur had taken over control of the Berserkers. Dagur definitely liked to live up to his name. "Did the boy say something to him?"

"Just that he is your son."

"He's not my son."

"He is your son, Stoick! He is. And then Dagur cut off his leg to send you a message. The war hasn't ended and it's so much deeper than just the dragons. You need to start seeing what's in front of you and accepting it before we're all Berserkers... or worse," Valka snapped, glaring up at her husband. "Thanks to Gobber, Hiccup can walk. I'm sure he'll waste no time in fixing his saddle for Toothless to accommodate his new leg and he'll be right back to showing the others his age how to train dragons, since they are the only ones who would give him the time of day. In fact, they've continued without him, though they haven't ridden yet. But they are forming bonds with the dragons, I've seen it myself. Stoick, this could save us!"

"You want us to put our trust in dragons? Val, what Odin's name is going on in your head?" Stoick roared.

"What is going on is the opportunity to become a stronger army! To really have the true defenses that you've always desired. The Vikings on Berk are strong, Stoick, but imagine if we had dragons behind us as well! We would be unstoppable and peace would be inevitable."

"Val-"

"Just go to the ring one of these days. Watch the kids with their dragons. Watch _him_ with his dragon. You'll understand. And maybe you'll rethink the war plan you've fallen back on for years that's rarely worked." With that, Valka walked out, and as she did, Stoick watched her. His jaw was set, but his mind was not.


	8. Chapter 7: Stubbornness Issues

**So this chapter is basically a lot of fluff. It's also basically filler. I hope that's okay with everyone. I would also like to thank everyone who reads and enjoys this story again. It is now my most favorited story, with over 200 favorites and almost 300 followers and that really just blows my mind. Thank you so much, you really have no idea how much it means to me!**

**Also, shameless plug, I'm going to be working on a Modern!AU idea I have. I don't know if it will be multi-chaptered or a one shot (probably a one shot since I don't want multiple WIPs going at the same time), but yeah, look out for that.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

If Hiccup really didn't think he was a Viking, Astrid had plenty of proof otherwise, because honestly, Hiccup was probably the most stubborn person she'd ever met. Vikings happened to be known for their stubbornness issues.

When it all came down to it, Hiccup was like a _baby_ when it came to resting. He couldn't just lay there and let his body heal. He was always fidgeting and trying to get up and trying to get Toothless to help him escape for a while and Astrid felt like his mother! She was constantly pushing him down and scolding him, telling him to just lay down for five minutes straight.

It had only been a few days since Hiccup had woken up, but it was the longest few days of Astrid's life, because she was both enamored and completely annoyed with this damn boy. She wanted to both hug him and punch him at the same time because he just wouldn't_ listen_! And Valka didn't help any, because she had put a lot of trust in Astrid to watch over him, while Valka made sure Gobber was doing a good job on the new saddle. Astrid didn't mind the responsibility, but she did mind the fact that the boy just couldn't sit still.

Astrid had just walked into the Haddock house to see Hiccup halfway out of the bed, his eyes wide as they stared at each other. She glared at him.

"You better get back in that bed before I take away your peg leg so you can't walk at all!" she snapped. Hiccup sighed loudly and laid back down.

"I can't stay in this bed anymore! I'm going insane. I need to get out there and help you guys with training," he said. Astrid shook her head and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Hiccup, we're fine. I'm doing what you're telling me to do in training and everything is going well. Everyone is really bonded with their dragons now. I'm pretty sure Fishlegs lets Meatlug sleep in his bedroom," Astrid said.

"And you don't with Stormfly?" Hiccup asked. Astrid smiled.

"Nope, but I am working on quite the stable for her beside my house. She's going to be sleeping in style," she responded. Hiccup smiled.

"That's good. But... I still want to be there," he said. Astrid nodded.

"I know you do. And I want you there too." She looked over at Toothless, who was obviously going just as stir crazy as his rider, but was better at containing it. Toothless cared more about Hiccup's safety than himself. She reached over and scratched under his jaw and then looked at Hiccup again. "How about tomorrow you can come? But you still have to take it easy."

"Astrid, I can walk just fine-"

"Barely. You're still wobbly and relying on others. Tomorrow, Toothless and I will help you to the ring where you will_ sit _and watch everything. You will be able to instruct and give input, but you won't be doing much of anything else," she said. Hiccup sighed again.

"Astrid, I need to get moving, I need to start doing things. I need to get back on Toothless and help you guys, because obviously there is a lot more to this war than just dragons! I need to show everyone here that the dragons can be allies in the fight against Dagur."

"I know, Hiccup. I know," Astrid soothed. "Trust me... people are starting to see. I can't even begin to tell you how many Vikings have come and watched the training, even though we haven't even gotten to flying yet."

Hiccup picked at a thread on the blanket. "Has the Chief started to see?" he asked hesitantly. Astrid shook her head. Hiccup shrugged. "Figures."

Astrid stared at him for a moment, before leaning in and kissing his cheek gently. His eyes went wide and she smiled at him as she pulled away and stood up. "Be good today. Please? I'll check in on you later and let you know how training went."

After one last parting scratch to Toothless' jaw, Astrid strode out of the Haddock home, leaving Hiccup to just stare after her, still completely in awe of what just happened.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but when are we going to stop with this bonding crap and start getting to the good stuff, and by good stuff, I mean flying?" Snotlout asked from where he was leaning against Hookfang. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"We'll fly when Hiccup gets back. This is all because of him, the reason you even have a dragon is because of him. Now, stop whining. I highly doubt you're ready to fly anyways," she said.

"Oh please, I am so ready! I know everything there is to know about this big guy," Snotlout said with a smirk, patting Hookfang's side.

"Is that so? What's a Monstrous Nightmare's shot limit then?" Astrid asked, raising a brow.

"Trick question. A Monstrous Nightmare has no shot limit because they are the greatest of all the dragons and they have no real limits," Snotlout responded.

"Wrong. All dragons have a shot limit and a Monstrous Nightmare's happens to be ten," Fishlegs cut in, the Book of Dragons open in his hands. Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't care about any of that! I am bonded with Hookfang! I just want to get in the sky and start setting fire to things!" he yelled. Everyone, even Hookfang, seemed to roll their eyes. Astrid walked over to Snotlout.

"Listen, quit your complaining. You will get to fly soon enough, but none of us are flying until Hiccup is healed and with us. Everyone else is okay with this, even the twins for Thor's sake, so why aren't you?" she snapped, poking Snotlout in the chest.

"Easy enough for you to say when you've already flown! And a Night Fury at that! How is it fair that you get to make the decisions? Just because you're Hiccup's girlfriend..."

"I'm not his girlfriend."

"Oh yeah, totally not his girlfriend. You know, ever since he showed up, you've been acting different."

"Yeah, you've been like... nice," Ruffnut said.

"It's weird. You haven't punched Snotlout in like... at least three days. That's gotta be a record," Tuffnut added.

"Well, that could definitely be arranged," Astrid said, her hands clenching into fists as she glared at Snotlout.

"I like it," Fishlegs interjected, and the other young Vikings looked over at him. "I mean, you were pretty scary before, and now you just care about things like this. You all do. Before he came, all you ever talked about was killing dragons, but now... now you all care about the dragons, you care about them as creatures. You're all just as fascinated by them as I've always been, even though some of you obviously haven't put forth the effort to read up on them like I have." Fishlegs looked pointedly over at Snotlout and the twins, giving them disappointed looks before shrugging. "I really like all the changes that are happening here. They're happening quickly, but they're good."

Everyone stared at Fishlegs for a few moments, the twins both blinking a few times as if Fish had grown extra limbs. But then Astrid smiled.

"Thanks Fishlegs," she said. "At least someone gets it." She looked back at Snotlout again and glared. "No flying until Hiccup is with us," she said one last time, before walking back over to Stormfly.

* * *

When Astrid walked back into the Haddock house after dragon training, Hiccup was sitting on the edge of the bed, his improved saddle in front of him on the ground. He had his peg leg hooked into the new addition and Toothless was looking on in interest. "Did Gobber do a good job?" Astrid asked and both Hiccup and Toothless looked up, Hiccup's face turning red before he looked away.

"Oh, um, yeah, it'll work. I can still control the movement of the tail and everything with it," he responded, picking up his pencil and scratching something onto the piece of paper he had beside him. Astrid walked over and cocked her head to the side.

"What have you been working on?" she asked as she looked over the complicated images. It looked like a really advanced peg leg.

"This leg is great and all, but it's not going to exactly work out for me. I know for a fact it won't do well on ice and well... you've seen my home." Astrid ignored the sting of pain at the word home, especially considering the connotations of him still calling the sanctuary home. "I mean, this leg is fine for riding, but I think it could be just a bit better when it comes to walking. No offense to Gobber, I know this isn't his usual work when it comes to prosthetics. Anyways, I think I figured out how to make all of that possible within one leg. It'll just be interchangable," Hiccup explained.

"And you can make this?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup nodded. "If I have the right equipment, I could, yes. Valka brought this to me earlier. Once I'm better on my feet, I'll go talk to Gobber and see if he wouldn't mind me borrowing his shop. I could help him out with other things in payment if need be," he said. Astrid nodded and sat down. Toothless walked over to her and made a purring noise, so Astrid pet his neck. Hiccup licked his lips. "So, how was training?"

"Good. Got off to a rough start, but that's just because Snotlout really loves the sound of his own voice." Astrid laughed softly, before it tapered off into silence. "They um... everyone really wants to fly. But I think you should be there for that. They also don't really like the fact that I'm making the calls on what we do, since I've already flown, but... whatever. I still want you there when the time comes for it."

"Yeah," Hiccup said softly. "Maybe tomorrow? You could loosen the shackles for just a few minutes so I could give a demonstration with Toothless? And then I'll rest, I promise." He gave her that crooked smile of his, and Gods, she was _not_ melting. Most definitely not melting.

"We'll see," she said. "I doubt your mother would appreciate it if I brought you back dead after dragon training." Hiccup chuckled and shook his head.

"You're worrying too much."

"Well, I would think you'd want your strength so that you're able to actually get back at Dagur for what he did."

Hiccup stared down at his leg and let out a sharp breath through his nose. "This never would've happened if I had stayed with my dragons."

Another sting of pain. Astrid swallowed back the hurt. She had to. "Maybe not... but you can't really know that for sure, can you?" Toothless huffed, as if the idea of Hiccup losing his foot with Toothless around was absolutely impossible. And maybe it was... maybe Hiccup would've been completely safe there his entire life. Astrid just didn't know. She smiled at the dragon and rubbed his snout. "You're right Toothless, he would've been perfectly safe with you."

Toothless grumbled a bit, making noises that almost sounded like he was mocking Astrid. Hiccup laughed and leaned into his best friend as Toothless scooted closer to him again. "Toothless, you're gonna have to get over it. It happened, there's nothing you can do to change it. It's gone. But don't worry, bud, we'll be up in the sky, flying again like nothing ever happened. And he'll never see your plasma blast coming." Hiccup scratched underneath Toothless' jaw and the dragon crooned happily. Astrid wondered if she and the others would ever have what Hiccup and Toothless had, but at the same time, she knew the answer to that. They might get close to that, but their relationships with their dragons would never compare. She honestly wondered if any relationship would ever compare regardless.

She stood up and both Hiccup and Toothless looked up at her. She smiled slightly. "I'm exhausted. I'm gonna go home. I'll... I'll come by in the morning to walk you to the ring." Hiccup smiled.

"Yes mom," he said. She punched his arm lightly.

"Get a lot of sleep tonight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow and you're going to need it," she said. Hiccup nodded and she considered kissing his cheek again, before deciding better of it and just leaving.

* * *

The next morning, Astrid did show up bright and early. Hiccup was already ready, dressed for the day and standing more surely, Toothless beside him in case he were too fall, already saddled up. Astrid could tell the dragon was happy to have his saddle back on, because he was wiggling about with so much contained energy. It was quite adorable.

Hiccup was able to walk to the door without falling, though Astrid had both hands up, just waiting. Toothless was behind him, ready to break his fall if he fell backwards. Hiccup just smiled at both of them.

"I got it. Relax," he said before they headed off towards dragon training. The walk to the ring wasn't that bad. The worst part was the stares. Everyone stared. Maybe it was the peg leg, though Hiccup and Astrid highly doubted that. Maybe it was just Toothless. These people still weren't used to seeing a Night Fury in the flesh, much less in the _daytime_.

When they got to the ring, Hiccup had to sit down. His body wasn't as used to the new limb as he'd thought, and he felt exhausted. Toothless laid down and let Hiccup lean against him, wrapping his tail protectively around him, even though he knew there was no real threat at the moment. Hiccup appreciated his dragon's cautiousness.

From where he sat, Hiccup watched as each of the young Vikings got their dragons and fed them. He could already see the personalities of their riders rubbing off on them. The twins headbutted each other, which lead the heads of the Zippleback to do the same. Hiccup was suddenly very glad that dragons had hard heads. Fishlegs was feeding large rocks to Meatlug, which was obviously making her very happy as she was licking away at his face. Snotlout was just standing next to Hookfang, obviously attempting to look intimidating, but it wasn't working much.

Astrid was talking to Stormfly, and Hiccup could see how happy the dragon was to just have Astrid talking to her. The Nadder was smiling wide and it made Hiccup happy to see all of these dragons so happy. He was also happy to see the Vikings happy as well.

"Are we gonna fly today?" Snotlout asked. Astrid glared at him before she looked over at Hiccup.

"Are you feeling up for a demonstration?" she asked. Hiccup looked over at Toothless. He was feeling a little better after sitting, and riding wouldn't force him to exert too much energy. So he nodded, standing.

"Now, there isn't a ton of space in here, so we really have to just go in circles for now, but that should be fine," Hiccup said, before climbing onto Toothless' back. He hooked his peg leg in and straightened out Toothless' tail. "Alright bud, let's go," he said, and Toothless was up. They flew smoothly around the ring, not bothering with any tricks. Any flying today would be simple, just a couple laps around. Once they'd done just that, Hiccup landed, unhooking his leg and jumping off of Toothless. "Don't try to be all suave about it. Just fly around a couple of times. We'll save the tricks for when we're out in the open and there's more room to fly."

Hiccup watched as each Viking flew around the ring a couple of times. He was moving about a lot, wanting to be apart of everything and really help everyone out, but Astrid was constantly on him, telling him to _Sit, Hiccup!_ and pushing him down. He would sit for a moment, only to jump back up the moment Astrid's back was turned to show one of the Vikings something and the cycle would repeat itself.

He didn't even notice how many Vikings were gathered around outside of the ring to watch. He didn't even notice that the Chief was looking in on the activity as well.

By the end of the day, he hadn't realized how much energy he had exerted until the walk back to the Chief's house seemed absolutely daunting. Astrid let him lean on her, ignoring all of the catcalls from the others as she and Toothless walked with Hiccup back up the hill. Astrid found that sleepy Hiccup was actually quite adorable, as he sputtered out random dragon facts in between yawns.

They were almost at the house, when Hiccup really started to just say whatever came to his mind. "I really liked when you kissed my cheek. A girl has never kissed me before. I've never really been around human girls before at all though. I think you missed your target though," he said. Astrid laughed softly, blushing.

"Okay, Hiccup," she said.

"I think you're really pretty. Before you liked me, you were scary, but now you smile all the time and you're so pretty and your eyes are so _big_," Hiccup rambled. Astrid blushed even brighter.

"If you say so, Hiccup," she appeased, biting her lip. They reached the Chief's house and she knocked on the door. Valka opened the door and smiled, shaking her head as she let them in. Astrid helped Hiccup into bed and Toothless laid down beside the bed.

"Goodnight, Hiccup," Astrid whispered.

"Goodnight, beautiful Astrid," Hiccup whispered back, his voice trailing off as he quickly fell asleep, snoring taking over where his words had died. Astrid stared at him, completely amazed that this boy was real. She looked up to see Valka staring at them, her brow raised.

"Do I want to know?" she asked. Astrid shook her head, before mumbling out a goodnight to the Chief's wife and retreating from the house before her face could turn even a slightly darker shade of red.


	9. Chapter 8: Continued Disbelief

**Okay, so PLEASE DON'T SKIP OVER THIS! I have something very important to say! I know this chapter is very short and definitely just filler, but I really wanted to get something out because I might not be able to for a while. See, I'm going to be EXTREMELY busy this week and next Saturday, I'm going to be moving. I don't know when I'll have internet back, but I definitely won't have it right away, so I don't know when I'm going to be able to update next. Hopefully I will be able to get a few chapters written during the time I won't have internet. But who knows, I might not have to wait that long. I was going to try and post my one shot (which is very long but not finished and will probably be posted in parts), but then I decided that everyone who reads this might not be interested in that and might not see my message about my lack of internet. So yeah, it might be a while, but it won't be forever and I promise I'll get a new chapter up as soon as I possibly can. Anyways, thanks for all the support you guys, it means so much to me, and I hope you all enjoy this small, but cute chapter!**

* * *

Stoick had basically been born knowing two things for sure; Vikings had to be tough and dragons had to be killed. His entire life had only backed those two facts up, making him even more sure of them with every passing day.

He was the biggest and the strongest of his tribe, which made him a formidable Chief. He had killed more dragons than anyone else in the village, and had started quite young at that. His hatred of the dragons was reinforced even more when one took away his only son. The dragons were monsters, and they had to be stopped. That was Stoick's entire goal in life, kill the dragons and protect the people of his tribe.

But now this boy was here and he was telling his people that dragons were good, kind creatures that deserved respect and would, in turn, give respect back. The boy, Hiccup, even after having his leg cut off, was still out and about, distracting Berk's natural way of life.

Stoick refused to believe that this boy was his son. It was just... it was impossible. After fifteen years, Stoick had come to accept that his son was gone. So what if this boy had the same name? So what if he bore a striking resemblance to his wife, except for his eyes, which seemed to come straight from Stoick's own reflection... He had watched his son get carried off by a hostile dragon, how could it be that fifteen years later, he was still alive?

But as much as Stoick tried to get away from the boy, he couldn't. It seemed like he was honestly taking over his village. He was _everywhere_. Once he was able to walk more, he was at Gobber's shop, working on things for himself, but for others as well. Gobber was so impressed with his knowledge of metal work and was honestly raving about him.

During the day, Stoick would walk around and see people running off towards the ring to watch the younger Vikings train their dragons. It was like a spectacle that everyone looked forward to seeing now.

And Stoick would be lying if he said he didn't go to watch it himself. It was so odd, seeing the Vikings with the dragons. The way they interacted, the way they flew. It was like... it was like they had all found long-lost friends. Even Snotlout had this comradery with the Monstrous Nightmare that wasn't normal for the Jorgenson's. Snotlout's father was one of Stoick's right-hand men, and he had killed his fair share of dragons, and it had been Snotlout's dream to live up to that legacy.

But there he was, and there they all were, talking and playing with their dragons like it was nothing.

Then there was Hiccup and his dragon. Those two were basically in sync. If Hiccup moved, Toothless moved with him. With Hiccup working on his leg so often, Toothless was always helping him around. When they were in the midst of older Vikings, the dragon was constantly winding himself around the boy, his first priority obviously being to protect his rider.

Stoick had honestly never seen anything like it. It was like one couldn't breathe without the other. And maybe it really was that way.

But he didn't want to admit to it. He didn't want to admit that he'd been wrong. Stoick couldn't be wrong, he was the Chief. If the Chief was wrong, then how could anything in the world be right?

* * *

Stoick walked into his home, happy to see that it was only his wife there. The boy always seemed to be there as well, so Stoick had been avoiding his own home as of late. Valka looked up at him and smirked when she saw the expression on his face.

"Gobber is letting him use the shop for the night. He's hard at work on his leg. Thinks he's finally got it down," she said, setting down a dish with a cooked chicken on it on the table. Stoick grumbled and sat down at the table. "I've seen you at the ring," Valka started.

"And?" Stoick asked.

"You're interested in what's happening, Stoick."

"I don't like what's happening, Valka."

"I don't believe that for a second, Stoick. Why don't you say the truth? I've seen you at the ring almost everyday since that boy, _our son_, got back up on his feet-"

"Don't you mean foot?" Stoick asked. Valka glared at him.

"Just admit it, Stoick. You see what he's been trying to tell us all along. You see that dragons aren't murderous monsters by nature," she said, her voice threatening, as if she was trying to scare him into admitting what she wanted him to admit.

"So he trained a few dragons..."

"Stoick! Really? I just..." Valka actually growled and shook her head. "You are the most stubborn Viking I have ever met. The others around here are starting to get it, and they see that maybe this is the answer. Maybe this is what the Gods wanted for us... to be at peace with the dragons, we need to ally with them, and with them, we can stop the Berserkers before they even set foot on Berk."

Stoick slapped his hand down on the table and Valka didn't even flinch. She was, evidently, used to his outbursts. She just continued to glare at him. "Val, you've lost your mind," Stoick said, his voice sounding tired and exasperated.

"No, Stoick. You have. We haven't had a dragon raid since he got here, and who knows when the Berserkers will strike. He has the power to help us, but you refuse to see that. You refuse to see all of it. I feel sorry for you, Stoick. I hope you start to see soon what's right in front of you."

She shook her head and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her. Stoick sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was starting to really hate his wife being so upset with him, but he just... he couldn't change that quickly.

* * *

It was late, but Hiccup couldn't stop working. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd woken up, and so much progress was being made in the village. Everyday, almost every Viking came out to watch the dragon training and they all seemed very interested in it.

And the young Vikings doing the training... they were so good at it and they all really had great, amazing, deep relationships with their dragons. It was everything that Hiccup wanted when he'd agreed to help the village. The fact that it was all happening so quickly... that was even better.

Sure, he never expected to be a leg short, but hey, that's why he was working late into the night. After proving himself to be quite the blacksmith, Gobber had agreed to let him use the shop at his whim so that he could work on improving his peg leg.

He was working on one of the three separate feet that was going to go into the one peg leg, when Astrid strode in. Toothless looked up from where he'd been laying and he smiled widely, his tongue lolling out. Astrid smiled at him and rubbed his face, rubbing her nose against Toothless' twitching snout.

"Well aren't you the cutest thing in Berk?" she asked in a cutesy voice, and Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Astrid had been doing that a lot lately, complimenting Toothless in front of Hiccup, and honestly... it just made Hiccup like her more. The others were good with their dragons, the others were connected to their dragons, but Astrid's relationship with dragons felt different. Maybe because she'd seen more than them.

Astrid walked over to him and smiled, looking at what he was working on. "Which foot is this?" she asked, running her fingers along the metal. Hiccup watched the movement.

"The walking foot. It's very similar to this one, but it's more... developed for walking around over different types of terrain, besides ice of course," he responded.

"Of course," she said with a smile. Hiccup looked at her and smiled himself.

"Is there a reason you're visiting me at such an hour?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I just... I wanted to see what you were doing."

"Is that all?"

It took a few moments for her to answer. "I wanted to see you, too." Hiccup's heart started to beat a little bit faster. Astrid placed her hand on his bicep. "You know... that night after your first day back to training... you were so sleepy and so cute. And you said some... pretty interesting things..."

Hiccup blushed. "Like what?"

Astrid giggled. "You said that I have really big eyes..."

"What else?"

"You called me beautiful Astrid."

Hiccup groaned and Toothless made a sound that sounded very similar to laughing. Hiccup looked back at him and glared playfully, but Toothless just gave him this smug grin. Hiccup shook his head and looked back at Astrid.

"I'm sorry, I just... I was-"

"Don't make excuses. It was sweet."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And I happen to think you're pretty beautiful too..."

Hiccup blushed even more, his face as red as the false tail he'd made for his best friend. Astrid bit her lip, before grabbing the front of Hiccup's armor and pulling him close. She leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips. Hiccup's eyes went wide for the briefest of moments, but then they slid shut and he kissed her back. He even followed her lips when she pulled away.

"I..." Hiccup whispered, grinning from ear to ear. "Wow..."

Astrid licked her lips and smiled. "I'm gonna go home for the night. See you tomorrow, Hiccup," she said, pressing another softer, quicker kiss to Hiccup's lips, before leaving the shop. Hiccup stared after her, the dopey smile still on his face, until he realized Toothless was standing beside him, looking confused, his pupils huge.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, before playfully pushing his best friend and getting back to work on his leg. If he'd felt even slightly tired before, he definitely didn't feel anything close to that now.


	10. Chapter 9: Bittersweet Memories

**Okay, so I know I said before I didn't know when I'd be able to update because I was moving. Well, things changed, and I am still moving, but I'm not going to be without internet at all, and I decided I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long, because that would be mean. But yeah, I am still moving, and I'm actually moving in with my friend Caroline (formerly TTAvatarfan, now Writer for the Tylwyth Teg), so yeah, if any of you read her fics (which you should) and want me to hit her for making you cry, just let me know! Anyways, the next chapter is gonna have a lot more happening and I hope this one isn't too terrible. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Hiccup ran from his home and into the throng of older Vikings, completely uncaring of the chaos and fire all around him as he giggled and jumped towards the sky where several dragons were flying overhead. He was filled with this unnamed excitement that only came during the raids, when dragons were everywhere and Hiccup desperately wanted to be with them. He was so distracted that he didn't even see his mother run out after him and scoop him up off the ground._

_"Hiccup, no! You have to stay inside," Valka said, obviously so worried about her only son whenever there was a dragon raid. He never seemed to want to stay inside, he always wanted to run outside and see the dragons. It scared her more than the dragons themselves._

_"But Mama, I want to ride a dragon!" Hiccup's little voice yelled out and he reached for the sky, his little fists gripping at the empty air. Valka shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. _

_"No dear, we have to get back inside where it's safe," she said, turning to head back towards the house, only to literally run into her husband._

_"Valka! What are you and Hiccup doing outside? Get home!" Stoick's voice boomed. Hiccup wrapped his little arms around his mother's neck and Valka sighed heavily. _

_"We're going, Stoick, we're going," she said. Stoick reached out and touched Valka's cheek for a moment, before rubbing his hand over Hiccup's head, ruffling his hair. Then he ran off, his axe in the air, yelling out orders for other Vikings. Valka held her son close as she ran back up to their home, prepared to stay with him in his room for the night just to make sure he wouldn't get out again._

_As she ran, Hiccup stared at the sky, wishing in his mind that he could be a dragon._

* * *

Hiccup's eyes opened slowly as he awoke from his dream. He couldn't remember most of what he'd dreamed, but what he did remember could only be described as a memory, and a very vivid one at that. Since he'd been in Berk, vague moments of recognition would hit him at the most random of times, but they'd never been as clear cut as the one he'd just saw in his sleep.

He sat up in his newly built bed, smiling as he saw Toothless still asleep on the stone slab that had been brought in for him, something that he could set fire to as many times as he wanted so that he could be comfortable at night. Hiccup swung his legs over the side of the bed, before standing up and stretching, letting the memory wash over him.

It had to have been a memory. It was sparking too much in his mind to have just been a dream invented by his subconscious.

"Toothless?" Hiccup spoke and his dragon's head perked up, his mouth opening in a wide smile. Hiccup smiled back as Toothless bounded across the room towards him. He rubbed his best friend's face. "What do you say we take the others out for a real flight today? Sound good, bud?" he asked and when Toothless wiggled happily his agreement, Hiccup chuckled and pressed their foreheads together. "C'mon, let's go."

Hiccup and Toothless went down the stairs to see Valka setting the table with pastries and, of course, fish for Toothless. Toothless immediately bounced over to the fish, while Hiccup just kind of froze and stared at the woman. After his memory last night... he was seeing her in a completely different light.

The fear that had been in her eyes when she'd seen the way he looked up at the dragons, the way her eyes had glazed over when he'd said he wanted to ride them. He couldn't have been more than three or four years old and he'd already known what path he was on. Hiccup realized now that his entire childhood on Berk must've been one of terror for his parents, his mother especially, considering he'd obviously spent most of his time fixated on the dragons and not in the way the others were.

Valka smiled when she saw Toothless and she rubbed his head, before she looked up at Hiccup and smiled at him as well. "Morning, Hiccup!" she said cheerfully.

"Morning... Mom."

It was Valka's turn to freeze and she looked up at the boy, her eyes shining. "You just..."

Hiccup nodded and walked over to her. "I um... I remembered something. I was quite a lot to handle wasn't I? And you're most definitely my mother," he said. Valka beamed so brightly and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Tears came to Hiccup's eyes and he buried his face in his mother's shoulder, hugging her back.

When they broke apart, Valka touched his face gently and he leaned into it. "Are you hungry?" she asked. Hiccup nodded.

"I could eat," he responded.

"Good. It's breakfast time," she said, motioning to the table. Hiccup chuckled and walked over as Toothless shoved his face inside of the basket, looking for more fish.

* * *

"Alright. Today is all about flying out in the open. I know we've sort of started doing this already, but we've never gone far from the ring, and that's just not enough for the dragons. They need to stretch their wings more. Today is about flying over the open water." Hiccup and the others were sitting atop a large sea stack with their dragons. They weren't far from Berk, and they could even see the village if they just turned around. But Hiccup wanted the dragons to really spread their wings, and the Vikings needed more experience with flying. "We're going to fly from here, out until that far off sea stack, go around it, and come back," Hiccup said, pointing to the one he was talking about. "I'll go fir-"

"I'll go first!" Snotlout shouted with a grin, cutting Hiccup off and looking specifically at Astrid. Hiccup didn't like the way he looked at her, but he also didn't miss the way Astrid rolled her eyes. He smiled to himself. "You all might wanna take some notes," Snotlout added, cockiness dripping from every syllable, before he and Hookfang took off, heading towards the sea stack in the distance. Astrid rolled her eyes again and stepped closer to Hiccup while the others were distracted watching their fellow Viking.

"Like he could ever fly better than you," she whispered.

"You're pretty skilled yourself," Hiccup commented with a smile. She preened at the compliment.

"Oh, I'm very aware," she stated. Hiccup chuckled and looked down. She tilted her head down so that she could look him in the eye. "You do that a lot. Why?" Hiccup shrugged. "That's not an answer, Hiccup."

He smiled. "It probably comes from the fact that this is the most I've been around people in fifteen years," he said with a shrug. She smiled.

"Well, you're pretty good at being around people," she said, knocking her shoulder against his.

"Thanks," he said, blushing a little. Astrid leaned in and kissed Hiccup's cheek. Hiccup looked at her and they were both leaning in to have a proper kiss, when Snotlout landed hard enough back on the stack to spray them with dust. They both coughed loudly and glared at the other Viking, who just smirked.

"I'm unstoppable, wouldn't you all agree?" he asked.

"You're definitely something..." Hiccup muttered, before he looked at the others. "Who wants to go next?"

* * *

The training went well, as always. Flying in the sky rather than in the cramped space of the ring was so much better and way more freeing. Astrid had a lot of fun for the most part. The only downer was Snotlout, who was constantly shooting her and Hiccup looks that she didn't appreciate at all, not that she really appreciated anything Snotlout did these days.

Astrid had just left the ring after feeding Stormfly when she bumped into Snotlout. After the flying, Astrid was tired and she really had no desire to be anywhere near Snotlout at the moment. "What do you want?" she asked, her eyes rolling before he even said a word. That seemed to be just her immediate reaction to him, she didn't even realize she did it anymore.

"So he_ is _your boyfriend?"

Astrid groaned. "Oh my Gods, Snotlout, no, Hiccup is not my boyfriend. Do I like him? Yes, I do. But it's really none of your business regardless."

"Astrid, I just don't understand why you like him. I mean, I've always been here and I'm like... fifty times the man he'll ever be. Look at these muscles!" Snotlout flexed his arms, and honestly, it took everything in Astrid not to roll her eyes at him yet again. "I've basically had them since the day I was born! And what about the fact that I've won the Thawfest the past seventeen years? I was only three when I first won!"

"Gods, Snotlout, I know. Everyone knows! It's not like you don't mention it enough."

"So why don't you want me?"

Astrid sighed. "Look Snotlout, you're my friend, but that's all you're ever going to be. I don't like you like that."

"But you like him like that after barely knowing him for a month? Astrid, we've known each other our entire lives! And what do you think is going to happen once the war is over? He's going to take the dragons and he's going to go back where he came from. He cares more about them than he does about any of us. He doesn't belong here."

"That's where you're wrong. You don't know him like I do."

"Actually babe, it's more like he doesn't know you like I know you."

Snotlout grabbed at Astrid's hips and she punched him in the face. A little harsh, but effective, something she'd learned from a very young age. "Snotlout, you need to get over it. I am not your babe. I am not your girlfriend, and I'm never going to be. I'm absolutely sick of the way you treat me! As if I'm yours and have always been yours. Get over yourself! Don't you see that this is why I don't like you? Because you never take a moment to think about anyone but yourself. You don't take the time to see that I can't stand your advances. He doesn't do this to me. He actually listens to me. Why don't you try listening to someone else, rather than the sound of your own voice for once!"

She turned on her heels and stormed off before Snotlout had the opportunity to say something else. Astrid was steaming and she'd seen Hiccup go off towards the Great Hall right after training. Right now, Hiccup was the only person who could make her feel sane, and considering he was raised by dragons... yeah, she didn't even want to get into how illogical it was. She just needed Hiccup.

* * *

The flying had gone so well. When they came back, Hiccup saw several Vikings watching by the cliffs, as well as on the docks and even a couple from one of the smaller ships. It made him feel so proud of what he was doing, every little moment of recognition from the Vikings that dragons weren't evil... he was doing what he'd come to do.

But once the lesson was done... there was something else Hiccup needed to do. He'd seen the Chief watching from by the Great Hall. Despite the distance, it would have been impossible to mistake the man for someone else. He knew he needed to talk to him. After his dream... his _memory_... there was a lot Hiccup had to say.

Hiccup hadn't even gotten off Toothless once he'd landed after the training. He'd just watched the Vikings take their dragons into the ring, before flying right off towards the Great Hall. When they got up there, the Chief was nowhere to be seen, but Hiccup knew he'd probably just gone inside.

He slid off Toothless and switched out the leg on his peg leg to the walking one. It was definitely still not finished, but Hiccup knew the best way to make it work the best would be to actually use it and test it. Sometimes the different legs would stick a little, and they weren't always the easiest to switch out, but for the most part, it worked.

"Toothless, stay," Hiccup said to his best friend. Toothless made a questioning noise and Hiccup smiled. "I need to do this on my own, bud. He won't hurt me. I'll be out in a bit." He rubbed his hand over Toothless' snout and walked up the steps to the entrance. He pulled open the large door and walked inside. It was the first time he'd been in there since he'd arrived on the island (considering he'd avoided it, similarly to how the Chief avoided his own home). Sure enough, the only person in there was the Chief himself. He was sitting by the large fire, a mug of mead in his hand. Hiccup took a deep breath, before he walked over to him. "I saw you watching the flying today," Hiccup started.

"You sound like my wife," Stoick said, his voice gruff. Hiccup chuckled softly at the irony, but the man did not look up. It was a little unnerving, and the tension was so thick it could've been cut with a long-sword.

"I... I know that you don't really like what's happening in the village, but I hope you're seeing the good it's doing."

"And what good is that?"

"There haven't been any raids lately, at least not since I've been here. And the Vikings really like their dragons."

"Yes, well, you'll be hard pressed to find the rest of the village so easily changing their minds."

"I think they already are, though. More and more people come out to watch the training everyday. I'm positive almost all of the village comes out now. And I even heard cheering today! The change is good, isn't it?" Hiccup asked, his voice hopeful. Stoick still didn't look up at him, didn't even say anything in response. Hiccup sighed. "I remembered something. I dreamt it, but... I know it was a memory. And you were in it... Dad."

The large man bristled and he shook his head. "No."

"But I am your..."

"No!" Stoick stood and Hiccup stepped back, because the Chief easily loomed over him. "My son was taken from me fifteen years ago and killed by dragons." Hiccup watched as he turned and started walking away from him. Hiccup followed.

"Why can't you accept that I wasn't killed? I'm standing right in front of you. I'm a Viking, I'm one of you. I'm your son!"

"You're not a Viking!" Stoick growled, rounding on him, which caused Hiccup to actually jump back, and he stumbled a bit, the movement so sudden and throwing off his balance a bit. "You're not my son. My son is dead." Stoick glared at him, before storming out of the building. Hiccup watched him, but from where he stood, he could not seeing the tears in the large man's eyes.

Hiccup didn't know what to do. What could he do? How was he ever going to change this man's mind? How was he ever going to make him see?

He honestly didn't know if he ever could.

* * *

Hiccup waited a few minutes until he was sure he wouldn't run into the Chief again. He was hurt, emotionally, and he was conflicted on how he could amend the situation. Vikings were so stubborn, and Stoick the Vast was the most stubborn of them all. Changing his mind about dragons when his hatred of them seemed to be even stronger than all of the other's... it didn't seem very possible. But Hiccup wasn't going to stop trying. That was not how he did things. He was born a Viking, and he definitely had the stubbornness to match.

As he walked out of the Great Hall, he decided it would probably be best to just focus on the tasks at hand; dragon training and getting his peg leg into perfect working order. With basically the whole village slowly getting behind him and his cause, the Chief would have to stop his disbelief at some point... right? He couldn't always be against his people, they were the most important thing to him.

Hiccup sighed as he stepped out into the sunlight. "Just focus on training and your leg. You'll get him to see. You will," he said to himself, needing the pep talk. With training over for the day, it would be best to just go and work on his leg more. He needed the distraction anyways.

Toothless was waiting for him outside the Great Hall, and he was about to climb on top of him, not feeling the desire to walk at all, when Astrid ran up to him. She basically pounced on him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He watched her squeeze her eyes shut, and he knew something had happened. Seeing Astrid upset was something he'd seen a lot unfortunately. He hoped this time he wasn't the direct cause of it, as he always seemed to be.

"What's going on?" he asked her, letting her squeeze him. He wasn't about to complain about Astrid holding him ever.

"Can we get out of here? Can we just leave Berk for a while?" she asked, opening her eyes to look up into his. He could see the mix of emotions in her clear blue eyes. So he nodded in response, and they climbed onto Toothless' back. Hiccup changed out his leg and hooked it into the saddle, while Astrid wrapped her arms around him, and then they were off. Really, they both needed to leave the island for a little while, and Hiccup had the perfect place to go.


	11. Chapter 10: Danger's Coming

**Okay, so, I worked very hard to make sure that this would go up tonight because I'm not going to be able to update the next few days as I am going camping and then I'm moving! What better way to leave stuff than on a cliffhanger!**

**Also, this chapter definitely has an M rating. Actually, the more appropriate term would be NC-17. So yeah, enjoy!**

* * *

The sanctuary was exactly as it was when they'd left it last. But unlike the last time Astrid had been come, there wasn't an undercurrent of fear. And Astrid pressing her cheek to Hiccup's shoulder was for a much different reason this time around as well. When they landed, Astrid happily greeted the dragons around them, feeling a pang of happiness with each Nadder that approached, considering the soft spot she had for them now. It also made her feel bad for leaving Stormfly back. She planned to make up for it in the future. Maybe Hiccup would want to take a trip back one day.

Once all the dragons were appeased with pets, Astrid allowed Hiccup to lead her into the heart of the sanctuary. "There's so much I want to show you that I didn't get to last time!" Hiccup said happily, holding her hand tightly as he pulled her over to another cave, one that was connected to the he'd lived in for fifteen years of his life.

Astrid giggled as he pulled her, loving how excited he was. He was like a little kid, wanting to show her his latest toy. But once they were inside of the little cave, Astrid could see why he was so excited. It wasn't toys that he was showing her, but books. The room was filled with books. More books than Astrid had ever seen in her entire life. She hadn't even known this many books could exist. They were everywhere, covering almost every surface, little shelves built into the rock formations and on a table he'd crafted as well. It was amazing.

"How did you get all of these?" she asked, moving along the wall and looking at all of the different titles. Hiccup watched her, his smile showing how proud he was of what he had.

"The dragons brought them to me. I asked for books and they definitely exceeded my expectations. When I started riding Toothless though, I got a lot more of them for myself."

"How did you read them?" she asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "I had the basic knowledge of language when they brought me here, and I didn't want to lose that, so I taught myself how to read them. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I did it. I didn't want to ever be able to not speak to people if it had to come down to it."

"You always were the smartest." Astrid smiled as she opened one of the books and saw a drawing of a dragon on the inside cover. It was a drawing of Toothless to be exact. "You know, I remember when we were little. You never wanted to play with us. You always just wanted to draw dragons..." Astrid looked up at him. "One day, your mom made you play with us though. You really didn't like it, but that was mainly because Snotlout kept making fun of you. I doubt he even remembers it... If it wasn't a moment of him praising himself, he tends to forget it easily."

"I don't remember... maybe I will though. Things are coming back just... it's a slow process." Astrid set the book down and continued moving around the room slowly, looking over all of the different books. She could feel Hiccup's eyes on her still. "What made you so upset?" Hiccup asked her softly. She ran her fingers over the spines of the different books, not wanting to look up at him just yet.

"Because Snotlout was pissing me off," she responded, shrugging noncommittally.

"What did he do?"

Astrid sighed. "He just acts like he own me. Like he has some claim to me. No one has any claim on me. No one owns me," she grumbled. They were both silent for a moment, and it was a little unnerving, but Astrid still didn't look in the other's direction.

"You don't think that I think that... do you?" Hiccup's voice was soft and meek. It cut through the silence just as much as it cut through Astrid's heart. She looked up at him and he was looking down. She walked over to him and leaned down, looking up at him so that he would actually have to look at her.

"Hiccup, no. Not at all. You make me feel completely different than him. He irritates me. You... when I'm around you, I feel like... like I can be myself," she said. Hiccup smiled.

"And to think... before you were blaming me for always having to be perfect."

Astrid smiled back. "I was wrong. I don't have to be perfect. Not around you. I get to just be who I am and smile and not have to put up a front for any reason. You make me feel crazy, like all I want to do is kiss you and hold your hand and go on flights with you, and it doesn't matter what anyone thinks because I'm happy. You make me happy." She grabbed his hands. "Now stop feeling nervous and kiss me."

Hiccup was happy to oblige. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Astrid's, which she happily responded to. She sighed against his lips and placed her hands on his shoulders. When she pulled away, Hiccup followed her lips, making Astrid giggle for a moment, before a not great thought crossed her mind. She bit her lip and Hiccup cocked his head to the side, resembling his dragon so much in that moment.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked. Astrid took a step back from him, leaning against the table behind her.

"After the war, are you going to leave?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Once the war is over... are you going to leave Berk and come back here? To the dragons?" she asked.

"I... I don't know, Astrid. I mean... I miss my dragons..."

"You can't go!" Hiccup stared at her. "Please. You can't leave me. If you do... I might have to marry Snotlout and we both know I really don't want to do that," Astrid said, pleadingly. Hiccup chuckled.

"Is that the only reason?"

"No, but I'm a very selfish person and I don't want you to leave."

Hiccup reached out and cupped Astrid's cheek. "The war isn't over yet. We don't know what's going to happen... but I do know that I can't let you marry Snotlout," he whispered. Astrid let out a laugh that also brought tears to her eyes and she hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair and just taking her in. Astrid gripped his back, loving the intimacy of what they were doing. To anyone else, it would look like they were simply hugging, but to her, it was cementing the way they felt for each other, without needing the words to say it.

Astrid pulled back and leaned in, pressing her lips to Hiccup's in a soft, but passionate kiss. Their lips moved together perfectly, and then Astrid was sliding her tongue over Hiccup's. His mouth opened on instinct and she slid her tongue past his lips, tasting him and moaning softly. They fought for dominance in the kiss, and Hiccup put up quite the fight, but honestly, with the way his kiss felt, Astrid let him take the lead.

Arousal was filling her body, heat taking over in ways that only ever happened during the night, when her fantasies would take over and desire would flood her. The same was obviously happening to Hiccup, as Astrid could feel his arousal against her thigh. He pulled back suddenly and swiped some books from the table, lifting her onto it.

"Hiccup," Astrid whimpered as he pressed into between her legs and kissed her again, this one deeper. His hands squeezed at her hips and then yanked her shirt from her skirt so that he could slide his hands up underneath the fabric to her breast bindings. She let out a soft sound and he swallowed it in a kiss, which she smiled against. "The dragons?" she asked.

"Feeding time... they'll be gone for a couple hours," Hiccup muttered as he worked to get Astrid undressed as quickly as possible. Astrid followed suit, needing him naked_ yesterday_.

"And Toothless?" she asked, her voice breathless.

"I sent him off to the other side of the sanctuary. Wasn't happy about it, but he won't bother us for a while," he replied, his voice equally as breathy as they basically tore at each other's clothing.

When Astrid finally got Hiccup naked, she had to take a moment to look over him. From the glimpse she'd gotten before, his front definitely was better than what she'd pictured in her mind, though she had been right about his figure. He was lithe, but there was definite muscle tone, even if it wasn't filling out and bulging the way the Vikings were. He was almost a noodle really, but he was a gorgeous noodle nonetheless. And while she stared at him, her stared at her, sliding his hands over her sides, feeling the way her body curved. She didn't even blush. She liked the feeling. Astrid felt more wanted under Hiccup's gaze than ever before.

"You know..." she whispered, moving her fingers up to touch Hiccup's lips. He pressed a gentle kiss to her fingertips. "I wouldn't do this with someone if I thought I wasn't going to be with him forever." She looked up into his eyes and they both knew what they were doing. They both knew what they felt. Hiccup leaned in to kiss her when she pressed her finger to his lips once again, stopping him from continuing the gesture. "One more thing..."

Astrid bit her lip for a moment, before she pulled off her headband and then took the band from her hair, running her fingers through the strands to release them from the braid. Hiccup watched the movement as Astrid spread her hair across her shoulders. Hiccup knew this was a big deal. Viking women always wore their hair up, and seeing it down was incredibly intimate.

Hiccup ran his fingers through her hair, feeling how incredibly soft it was. He watched as the golden strands slid past his fingertips and then smiled. He looked from her hair to her eyes. "You are so beautiful, Astrid."

Astrid whimpered softly and pulled him close, needing to kiss him. Hiccup kissed her back, sliding his fingers from her hair, down over her breast, past her stomach, and then through her slick folds. A shudder passed through Astrid and she pressed into the touch. The heat inside of her was filling every crevice of her body, every limb, making her need him. She ran her own fingers into Hiccup's hair and gripped at it tightly.

"C'mon Hiccup... release the dragon inside of you..." she whispered, staring into his eyes. At her words, she could see the fire ignite in his eyes. He lifted her from the table, and she had enough mind to wrap her arms and legs around him as he turned her around and pressed her into the cave wall. His face buried in her neck and kissed at her overheated skin as he gripped his own hardened length and pressed it against her. She gasped, her eyes closing as he pushed into her. She bore onto him, her teeth gritting from the pain.

It hurt a lot, but at the same time, she kind of enjoyed the sting. It was the most real feeling she'd felt since she realized her true feelings for Hiccup. It was the first time in a long time that pain really was pleasurable. Back when she was younger, pain was part of being a Viking, and getting hurt came with the territory. It was something to be proud of. But as she'd gotten older, it was just that... _pain_, and nothing good really came out of it, out of the scars that littered her body. But this pain, this pain was the type of pain that made her realize how alive she was, and how alive she felt in the arms of this beautiful man who held her heart so close to his own.

She reached around the wall for purchase, needing something to grip onto, but there wasn't much on the cave wall except for a few jutted out rock shelves, all of which had books on them. She shoved some off so that she could put her hand where they'd sat as Hiccup bottomed out inside of her, his hot breathes pulsing against her neck.

Even though Hiccup was obviously going on instinct, he still stopped, seeming to know that Astrid was hurting. Sure, she liked the pain, but she was still very glad that he stopped and let her get used to his girth. But it didn't take long for the pain to cease and once it did, Astrid swirled her hips around on top of him, letting out a moan at the sensation. It sparked every nerve-ending inside of her, and if she thought she'd needed him before, it couldn't even come close to comparing to the need she felt now. At the movement, Hiccup actually growled, and the sound was so like a dragon, Astrid was almost afraid Toothless had appeared. But nope, it was just her dragon boy, and before she knew it, he was pulling out slightly just to drive back into her.

The angle wasn't the greatest. He couldn't pull out enough and she was using all of her strength to pull herself up by the rock in the wall so that she could basically ride him. Regardless, the way their bodies moved together, it felt so amazing. Astrid had never felt anything like it, nor had Hiccup, and it was the most viseral, wonderful sensation. Sweat coated their skin, making them stick together and they tried to kiss but it was far to difficult with their breathing so heavy.

And when the angle became too much, Hiccup pulled out, much to Astrid's disappointment, only to let her down and press her over the table. Her sensitive breasts brushed against the hard surface and he was entering her from behind, and with this angle, Hiccup had no more issues. He placed one hand on her hip and the other on her back, between her shoulder blades, holding her down as he started to fuck in and out of her, his dick sliding in and out of her so easily and perfectly.

He was going so much deeper now and Astrid was so full and she loved it. She pressed her cheek against the table and moaned out, a combination of "_Oh Gods!_" and "_Hiccup!_" over and over, considering they were the only things that she could even think of to say.

Hiccup was pounding into her, his skin smacking loudly against hers, and the way he was moaning and groaning, completely wanton, Astrid felt like she could have the greatest orgasm just from those sounds.

His hands moved and Astrid took the opportunity to straighten up, pulling one of her own legs up onto the table so that Hiccup could get as deep as possible, and Gods, yes, she really liked that position. She was pressed flush against him, crying out, and rubbing her own clit hard, needing the extra bit. When Hiccup saw what she was doing, he pushed her hand away and replaced it with his own, his fingers speeding over her throbbing nub, and that was all it took before Astrid was coming hard, her body tensing up and clenching around his length tightly. It wasn't too much longer after she had started to come that she felt him pulsing inside of her, releasing his seed into her body.

When Astrid came down from her high, she collapsed completely against Hiccup, every bone in her body feeling like jelly. He held her close, and kissed her sweaty skin gently.

"Was I too rough?" he asked and Astrid looked up at him, seeing the nervousness in his eyes. God, he was still so nervous, even though he'd just basically fucked her brains out. She smiled and leaned in, pressing a gentle and slightly off-center kiss to his lips.

"You were perfect," she whispered. "You really released the dragon, didn't you?"

Hiccup chuckled. "I may have never done that before, but I do know about human mating. I have read many books and some of them have spoken about it extensively."

Astrid blushed. "Mating? Really, Hiccup?" she asked with a laugh, elbowing him. They both laughed more and he kissed her again.

"I'm in love with you, Astrid," he whispered against her lips. She felt her heart thudding heavily against her chest, as if it wanted to burst out only to land in his hand. This man definitely owned all of her heart.

"I'm in love with you too, Hiccup," she whispered back, looking into those beautiful green eyes. She wished they could just stay in that sanctuary forever, but she knew they couldn't. But at least she didn't feel the fear that she felt before, the fear that Hiccup might leave her once the war was over. And at least she could spend a little more time with him, in peace, in this beautiful sacred place.

* * *

Valka was a little nervous. She hadn't seen Hiccup since that morning, and she knew dragon training was over, but she couldn't find him. He usually came home right afterwards to let her know how the training went, before he'd run off to the Forge, or to see Astrid alone, or to just escape into the woods with Toothless. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Nor was Astrid.

She wondered if they'd gone into the woods together to maybe do some after-training flying, but upon checking the ring, she saw that Stormfly was sleeping peacefully in her cage. She knew that Astrid didn't fly without Stormfly anymore.

She was about to ask around, try and see if she could find anything out from anyone, but suddenly the horns blared. It was far too early for a raid though, and they hadn't had one in a long time. Hiccup had kept his word, and the dragons hadn't attacked. So why was the horn blaring and why were there Vikings running here and there, arming themselves with the weapons they hadn't had the opportunity to use in a while?

"What's going on?" Valka pulled a man aside and asked. He looked at her and motioned out to the sea with his axe.

"Berserker ships have been spotted!" he said, before running off towards the cliffs. Valka felt her heart sink as she followed him. She stood on the edge of the cliffs, and saw what all the other Vikings were seeing. The Berserker Armada sailing by... but that was the thing, they weren't headed towards Berk. They were headed past Berk, and they were quite far off by the looks of it. The fear in Valka's heart only increased tenfold.

They were headed in the direction that Hiccup had come from when he'd first arrived.


	12. Chapter 11: Ready the Ships

**First off, let me just say how sorry I am that this chapter took so long. I've had a bit of writer's block with this story. I know where I want to go with it, but getting it down in words hasn't been working out so well. Please forgive me. Also, I kind of took a break from it to focus on Unexpected, and even now that that story is all up, my brain is still a bit focused on it (which is why I will probably be writing some one shots for it soon). I also want to apologize for the lack, as it's not very long at all, but I figured it would be better to get something up than nothing at all, especially since I won't have internet for the next couple of days. Anyways, this story won't be lasting much longer. I'm thinking it will go up to Chapter 15 at the most, maybe not even that. So we are nearing the end here. I just hope you guys aren't too mad about the wait and I promise I will try to get the next chapter up a lot sooner. **

* * *

"What is going on?" Stoick's voice roared above the crowd, causing Valka to whip around and look at her husband as he approached. He looked out towards the water, spotting the ships as well. "Are they... sailing past us?" he asked, looking as confused as the rest of the Vikings.

"I think they might be heading towards Hiccup," Valka spoke, staring at her husband, but not missing the way everyone turned and looked at her. Stoick went stiff.

"The boy is on the island," he said.

"I haven't seen him since before dragon training today. Astrid appears to have disappeared as well," Valka said.

Stoick rounded on her then. "I saw him after training. He came to talk to me. It wasn't that long ago, I doubt he could've gotten far."

"Well, then you were the last person, Stoick. And maybe that explains why he's disappeared. Let's also not forget that he has a Night Fury, a dragon proven to be one of the fastest alive." Valka narrowed her eyes. "What did you say to him?"

"How does that matter right now, Valka? Are you not seeing what's happening right now?"

"You mean the Berserkers possibly heading for our son?"

"Enough with this!"

Everyone froze then, but Valka was done. She was absolutely done with her husband and all of the shit he was pulling. "No! Not enough! Stoick, he is your son whether you like it or not! And because of you, he is not here right now and could be in danger! So either you and I work together to figure out how we can get to him before Dagur does, or you continue to stay in your own little world while I do something myself."

She had gotten right up into her husband's face and they were staring each other down. Everyone around them was waiting on bated breath. Stoick was glaring, and to anyone else he would be intimidating, but to Valka... she was so used to this look, and she wasn't going to back down. Not this time. Not anymore.

"They cut off his foot to send a _message_. They are heading towards his home, and if he's not here, then he's there. And it was because of you. If something happens to him... I will never forgive you, Stoick. And if you still really don't want to do it for him, do it to help stop the Berserkers before they finally attack us," she snapped, before turning to look towards the younger Vikings. "I need your help."

"Stormfly is still in her pen! We can use her. Nadders are trackers and she can lead us to them," Fishlegs said. Valka nodded.

"Good. I'll take her. Show me the basics of flying and quick." Valka looked back at Stoick. "Ready the ships, Stoick. You know you have to. We need to help our son." She didn't wait to see what he had to say after that, she just hastily followed the younger Vikings back to the ring.

* * *

Astrid couldn't help but be pretty upset at the fact that Hiccup was putting_ on_ clothes. She watched him as she dressed herself, her eyes lingering over the revealed skin until it was covered in leather and furs. Hiccup chuckled when he noticed her staring.

"Is my clothing disappointing?" he asked. Astrid nodded as she pulled on her skirt.

"It is. Very much so." Hiccup laughed some more and they finished dressing in silence. Once they were dressed and Hiccup was no longer incredibly distracting, Astrid turned to the man whom she had given her entire heart and body to. "So... how were you so good at that? I mean, I've always heard the first time is awkward and painful."

Hiccup shrugged as he started to pick up the books that had been knocked aside as a result of their passion. "Animals don't know what they're doing when they mate for the first time, but it's never awkward for them. They just do it. They just know, they act purely on instinct. I guess I just gave myself over to that animalistic side."

"The dragon side," Astrid said with a grin. Hiccup nodded, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes, the dragon side." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Astrid smiled into the kiss and sucked on his lower lip gently.

"You know, you better not take back what you said. You better not leave me alone on Berk after the war," Astrid whispered, looking into his eyes. "You can stay in Berk with me and your family. The dragons can stay too! Imagine what this is going to do for us as a whole? With dragons... we'll be so much better. You're making everything so much better."

"That's just what I've wanted everyone to see. But still... it's not up to you about the dragons. That's for the Chief to decide."

"You're the heir to the throne at Berk. You have a right to speak up."

Hiccup chuckled. "Let's try and make things better first. Let's end the war first. And then we'll see about that whole heir thing. I mean, Stoick should probably accept me as his son before I claim any right to any throne."

Astrid smiled. "You're right." She leaned up and kissed him gently, before taking his hands. "You know, I don't think you showed me everything you wanted to show me," she said with a grin, glancing down at his pants for a brief moment. Hiccup shook his face, but his face had lit up at the thought of getting to show her more of his sanctuary. "Go ahead. Show me more!"

Hiccup squeezed Astrid's hands and pulled her out of his little library. They walked around, staying close to each other. Hiccup explained things about his home, and as he did, the dragons came back from their feeding time. Hiccup also demonstrated his Night Fury call for Astrid, both of them chuckling as Toothless bounded over, basically trampling them to the ground in his haste. They played with him for a while, making up for when Hiccup forced him away, before Astrid just laid down in a particularly grassy area, watching all the dragons as they flew about above them.

"This place is so amazing..." she whispered as Hiccup settled down beside her, Toothless behind them, purring happily while baby Gronckles rolled about in front of them. "I know we have to go back... I wouldn't want to stay away from Berk forever... but do we have to go back right away?" She rolled her head so she was looking up at Hiccup. He smiled and shook his head.

"Of course not. We can stay here as long as you want. Just don't blame me when the Chief thinks I've kidnapped you as an act of war."

Astrid laughed. "No one would back him up on it. Everyone has seen us together by now... if they don't know, they have some inkling at least." She sat up and leaned in close to him. "I wouldn't let him use me like that anyways. Like I couldn't defend myself."

"You could probably break me in half."

"Yeah, probably. Good thing I really like you a lot."

Hiccup chuckled and cupped her face, kissing her. "We'll stay here as long as you like, milady."

* * *

Valka never imagined that she would be in this positon, atop a dragon that she'd really only just a met. Naturally, she was as curious as the others about what riding a dragon would be like, but she didn't have much time to really dwell on it, she didn't have time to enjoy it like they had. She had to learn the basics of flying and learn them fast.

"The key is that you have to just trust the dragon. Hiccup always said that was the main point of riding a dragon. They will protect you and keep you safe, as long as they know that you've put your trust in them entirely," Fishlegs explained as Valka adjusted herself to sit more comfortable in the makeshift saddle. Once she felt more secure, she reached forward and rubbed her hand over Stormfly's chin.

"I trust you to take me to my son and your rider," she whispered. The Nadder made a happy sound, as if the thought of finding Astrid made her happier than anything else. Valka had a feeling that it would, in fact.

She did a couple of test flights around the ring, and it was honestly exhilarating. She could see why they enjoyed it so much. The thrill was one thing, but the trust was another. To know this creature had her life in its hands, and it could easily end her life was scary, but the knowledge that this creature would never do that definitely outweighed the fear. Stormfly wasn't Valka's dragon, and she wouldn't have a relationship with her like Astrid did or like Hiccup had with Toothless, but she definitely trusted her completely.

Snotlout ran into the ring after she landed. Valka had sent him to make sure Stoick had actually started to ready the ships. She didn't know what her husband was doing, but she wasn't about to let him damper their chances to make sure their son continued his life.

"The Chief is readying the ships, but he definitely doesn't seem to happy about it. He's not even talking to Gobber, he's just yelling out commands in an annoyed tone," Snotlout said. Valka rolled her eyes.

"He's being a child. I swear, you four are more mature than him right now. Doesn't he understand..." She sighed heavily. She couldn't put this on teenagers. She was already asking too much of them. "I need something of Astrid's, so that Stormfly can properly track her scent."

"Her axe!" Ruffnut spoke up. "I'll go get it!" She left the ring, running as fast as her legs would take her. Valka knew that even though she didn't want these young Vikings to go to war, they were more than excited to get on the backs of their dragons and ride off to defend their people. The fact that they would so willingly do that for her son... it filled her heart with a warmth that she'd only just relearned since her son came back to her. It didn't take long before Ruffnut was running back inside, carrying the axe. Valka took it gratefully.

"I've never been more proud of Vikings than I am of you," she said to them all. "Willing to put your lives on the line for someone you really only just met... someone who sympathizes with the creatures you were raised to kills."

"Eh, don't sweat it," Tuffnut said with a grin.

"Yeah, we like Hiccup and Astrid is our friend!" Fishlegs interjected.

"Sure, Hiccup can be kind of annoying sometimes, but hey, he's the reason we have our dragons. We never thought we'd ever have something this awesome in our lives," Snotlout added.

"And he's changed so much around here. I mean... people are so_ happy_. Gods, can anyone remember the last time Astrid smiled before Hiccup showed up? I sure can't," Ruffnut pointed out. Valka smiled at them.

"You're all taking a huge risk with your lives. You know about the Berserkers. You've seen what they can do and have done. Are you sure you want to take this on?" she asked.

"Yes!" It was a unanimous cry. Valka's smile turned to a proud grin.

"Good. We'll be leaving soon. But there's one more thing I have to do first." Valka jumped off Stormfly and pet her neck for a moment, before she left the ring. She rushed down to the docks as quickly as her legs would carry her and walked up to the unmistakable silhouette of her husband. Around them, Vikings moved about, rushing their preparations, so as to get the ships off the docks as quickly as they could. "I can't believe you actually listened to me."

Stoick didn't move. "Maybe I'm just as done with the fighting as you are, Val."

"The fighting between us?" she inquired. Stoick sighed and turned to her.

"Yes."

"I don't want you to do this just because you don't want to fight with me, Stoick. I want you to do this because he's your son." Stoick didn't say anything in response. Valka just stared up at him. "I'm going to head out with the riders. We're going to follow the ships... at a distance. Stormfly will be tracking this." She held up Astrid's axe. "I hope we get to them before Dagur does. And I hope you make it in time as well." Valka watched her husband for another moment, before she stepped forward, leaned up, and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Stay safe," she said.

"You too, my dear."

Valka touched his arm, before she headed back up towards the ring. Even though they'd been so distant the past fifteen years, Valka still loved her husband dearly, and she did fear the outcome of all of this, not just the possibility of losing her son permanently, but losing her husband as well.

But she had a lot to focus on right now, and she put a lot of trust in Stoick. After all, he had his reputation of being the strongest man around, and it was a well-deserved one at that. She had to focus on getting to her son now, first and foremost.

She made it back to the ring in record time and hopped back onto Stormfly. The other Vikings were eagerly waiting as she got comfortable in the saddle again and leaned forward to let Stormfly sniff her rider's axe. "Find them, Stormfly!" she said. Stormfly breathed in the weapon, before letting out a squacking sound and taking off out of the ring. The other riders followed her on their dragons. Valka didn't know where they were headed, but she trusted the dragon she was riding to take her in the right direction.


	13. Chapter 12: Surprise Attack

**Okay, so I have a lot of apologies, which is all I ever seem to do with this story anymore. First, I'm sorry about how long it's been between updates. Second, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. It's definitely one of the shortest, but it put me in a place where I should be able to finish it a lot easier. Three, I didn't edit it, because I just wanted to get it up, so I'm sorry about any typos/mistakes/etc. I just have gotten to a point where this story feels more like work than something I enjoy writing, but I will finish it. It probably won't be the tightest finish, there will probably be a lot of loose ends, but I'm going to do my best. Just, please be patient with me. You've all been so amazing thus far.**

**ALSO THERE WILL BE DIRECT PARALLELS TO THE SECOND FILM IN THIS AND THE NEXT CHAPTER BUT NO MAJOR SPOILERS, SO YEAH, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, DON'T WORRY!**

* * *

The first sign that something was wrong was the dragons. Toothless tensed up beside them and Hiccup took full notice, sitting up to stare at his friend. The dragon was looking around, watching as the other dragons also started to have reactions to something unknown to Hiccup and Astrid. And then Toothless started to growl, his teeth showing as he snarled.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked.

The second sign was the loud booming sound from outside the sanctuary, that had the entire place shaking. The dragons took off then, heading for the exits. Hiccup jumped up, as did Astrid.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked, her eyes wide.

Hiccup didn't respond, he just ran. Astrid followed him. They ran out onto an icy ledge, Hiccup slipping for a moment before he quickly switched out his peg leg. The sounds of cannons hitting ice and causing it to crash down sounded all around them as they stared down at ground and water below, where an entire armada was waiting, weapons loaded. Hiccup's eyes widened.

"No..." he whispered, shaking his head.

"That's the Berserker armada," Astrid said. Hiccup's expression quickly went from disbelief to anger and he turned around, running back inside. Astrid followed him. "Hiccup, what should we do?"

"We need to protect the dragons," he said, his voice soft, but hard. Astrid had never heard him talk like that. She grabbed his arm.

"Everything's gonna be okay. I know we don't have weapons, but we're not going to let them get away with-"

"This is my fault," Hiccup said, cutting her off and shaking his head. He yanked his arm from her grip and continued to walk off. Astrid's brows knitted together and she moved after him.

"What do you mean this is your fault?" she asked.

"My sketchbook! After he took my foot, he must've taken that too. I... I didn't know for sure, I couldn't remember him taking it, but... Gods, I'm so stupid! I convinced myself it was taken by an animal, but it obviously wasn't. Dagur has my sketchbook and it lead him here. It lead him straight here and it's all my fault."

Hiccup was staring down at the ground, his hands clenched into fists. Astrid put her hands on his face and made him look up at her. "Hiccup, it's going to be okay. They have an armada, yes, but you know what we have? Dragons. They can't touch us," she said. He stared at her. She smiled at him. "We can do this. We can take them down. Make him regret what he did to you."

It took a moment of Hiccup just continuing to stare at her, before he nodded. Toothless made an impatient noise at them. "Let's go."

* * *

The dragons flew around the armada, blasting traps and setting fire to ships, in an effort to knock out their defenses. But the armada was incredibly prepared, with dragon traps, as well as soldiers with handheld weapons, and they had no care about any of the dragons they took down. In fact, their leader was calling for even more weapons to be brought out and used against the reptilian creatures.

"Bring out the cannons! Fire at the beasts! Fire at the mountain! Draw out the big one!" Dagur the Deranged demanded, following up his commands with a fit of insane laughter. His men moved like clockwork around him, working to get more weapons. Unfortunately for them, any dragons they took down with their weaponry lead to ten more very angry dragons attacking them back just as hard.

Dagur's hand squeezed around his trusty crossbow. He stared up at the action around him, watching the dragons with narrowed eyes. He didn't care about his men at the end of the day, whether or not they died was not on his radar. All he cared about was the Bewilderbeast, which he would take control of, and then he would have the greatest armada of all time.

"Keep hitting the mountain!" he cried, aiming his crossbow into the air to take down Hobblegrunt coming at him.

* * *

For a while, Valka was positive they were lost. They'd been flying for what felt like forever and she had no idea if Stoick had actually followed her with the ships or not. But Stormfly seemed so sure of their direction, and Valka trusted her. She had to trust her.

It was hard to stay hopeful after so long though. She was starting to think they should just turn around and go back to Berk, try to think of another plan of attack. But then she heard the unmistakable sounds of battle. Cannons, screaming, and the sounds of dragons.

The dragons they were riding started chattering and the Vikings behind Valka seemed to perk to life as well, always prepared for a fight. Stormfly was trilling anxiously. Valka felt just as anxious.

"We need to be careful. We don't have weapons!" she called out to the younger Vikings.

"We have the greatest weapon of all! We have dragons!" Snotlout called back. She could hear the grin in his voice. As a mother, Valka was very concerned about them, but as a Viking... she knew they would hold their own. She knew they would be okay in the end. And as they got closer to the battle, she was sure they were more ready for this than anyone could've anticipated.

"I know you haven't been riding as long as Hiccup has. I know you're no where near dragon riding experts. But I also know that you're all trained warriors, and you all have connections with your dragons. They will keep you safe during this. Today, we will fight back against the Berserkers and we will bring Hiccup and Astrid home," Valka proclaimed, feeling a power surge through her that she hadn't felt in a long time. "Now, I want you to fight back with everything you can! Protect the dragons. I'm going to find Hiccup and Astrid!"

They all flew off in separate directions, the younger Vikings heading directly towards the fighting, while Valka guided Stormfly towards the mountain of ice. She watched around herself, making sure to evade any flying weapons, and feeling enormously proud with how quickly the others went about disarming the armada and helping any dragons brought down.

She got to the mountain, but just as she was about to try and enter it, a cannon shot and blasted a large chunk of ice. Valka veered Stormfly away as quickly as she could, and just when the ice was about to hit them, it exploded. That's when Valka heard the undeniable sound of a Night Fury.

She looked up to see Hiccup flying overheard, zooming around while Toothless shot perfectly aimed plasma blasts, disarming anyone in range. They rounded about and came back around to her.

"Mom!" Hiccup said, grinning. "You came? On Stormfly?"

"I had to. My son put himself in danger!" Valka said. Astrid grinned from where she was sat behind Hiccup when Stormfly chirped happily, and she jumped over onto her dragon.

"I missed you too, girl," Astrid said, rubbing her hand over Stormfly's side. It was then that a large dragon, the very one that took Valka's son away from her, flew up alongside them.

"Mom, Cloudjumper. Cloudjumper, Mom," Hiccup introduced, before he and Toothless took off again. Cloudjumper made a gurgling sound at her, and the look in his eyes... Valka just knew that she had to jump onto him. It was like an instantaneous connection that happened, one that she couldn't even attempt to explain. So she did jump onto him, letting Astrid have Stormfly back. They took off after Hiccup.

"Thank you. For taking care of my son," Valka said to the Stormcutter. Cloudjumper made another noise, and then they were off, Valka feeling completely at ease on this dragon, even though she'd just met him. She put her complete trust in him.

* * *

Hiccup was on top of the action, his priorities being to save his family and to put an end to Dagur's ambition. He knew what Dagur was trying to do. Dagur wasn't the first one to try, and he wouldn't be the last. But he was the only one to bring an entire armada and Hiccup planned to stop him, whatever means necessary.

He scanned the crowd, and then he spotted him, crossbow raised to the sky, pointed in his general direction. Hiccup glared. Astrid flew up next to him.

"Hiccup, you can't go head to head with him. You don't have any weapons!" she said. Gods, she knew him far too well for such a short time together. He smiled at her.

"I have the greatest weapon of all. I have the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself on my side, remember?" he said, before he took off towards Dagur. Dagur's eyes followed his movements until Hiccup landed and dismounted, switching out his peg leg with ease.

"Well, well, well... the son of Stoick the Vast... How's that missing leg working out for you?" Dagur asked with a smirk. Toothless snarled at him and Hiccup held out his hand, letting his best friend know that he was alright. Toothless' growls stopped, but his protective stance didn't lessen.

"I hope you know that your plan isn't going to work," Hiccup stated, ignoring Dagur's comment. He had expected to be patronized. It didn't bother him.

"Oh, but I think it will. You see, I want that dragon. And I know he's in there, just waiting for the taking," Dagur mused, pointing his crossbow at the mountain. Hiccup didn't even glance up.

"I lead you here. I know that I did. But the information you received involuntarily from me won't help you to take him. He's not a dragon that can be enslaved. It's a fool's game to even try, and I've seen many a men try, most of which were much bigger and more intimidating than you."

Dagur narrowed his eyes at Hiccup, his chin up in a way to make him seem like he still felt proud of his plan. Hiccup knew that look. He'd seen it before, though never up close. Then Dagur's eyes went to Toothless and he smirked. Toothless' nails dug into the ground, his teeth bared as the man took a step closer to them.

"The ice-spitter is what I truly want... imagine all the power I could harness with that beast... all of the people and places I could take for myself, in the name of the Berserker tribe. But if I can't have him... I could easily settle for a Night Fury," Dagur explained, pointing his crossbow at Toothless. Toothless let out his most vicious roar. Hiccup placed his hand on the hilt that was strapped against his leg.

"You won't be taking Toothless," he said.

"Who's going to stop me?"

Hiccup pulled the hilt from it's strap and pressed a button on the side, causing a flaming blade to appear from within it. Dagur's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, something no one even knew Hiccup had in the first place.

"Me."


End file.
